Intro
An underwater turbine required two separate torque measurements but only needed to be monitored periodically.
The problem
As the turbines were underwater and were rotating, it was not possible to provide a wired solution.
The solution
The solution was to use two T24-SAf battery-powered telemetry strain gauge acquisition modules which were waterproofed within the turbine shell and fitted with external antennas. The antennas were fitted to the turbine shell and waterproofed.
One hundred readings per second were required on demand but otherwise were to remain in a deep sleep mode to conserve battery life. When data was required, an antenna fitted to a pole was lowered into the water and communications achieved with a range of 0.5 metres. The pole mounted antenna was connected to several metres of coaxial cable that ran back to a base station connected to a PC that was used to sleep, wake and acquire torque data from the T24-SAfs.
If you have an application for strain gauge signal systems in the alternative energy industry we are here to help. Please contact us.