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Sensor Innovations for Applications in Water Protection and Management

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2021) | Viewed by 16128

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Prof. Dr. Fiona Regan

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DCU Water Institute, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, D09 E432 Dublin, Ireland
Interests: optical sensing; analytes (nutrients, metals, E. coli, pharmaceuticals, emerging contaminants); biosensors; centrifugal microfluidic sensors; antifouling for sensors, autonomous systems
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, the most popular sensors for water monitoring applications include monitoring of temperature, conductivity, turbidity, colour, and pH. In recent decades, devices have become smaller and more rugged and stable, leading to greater reliability. In recent years, major advances have taken place in the measurement of species such as trace metals, nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, ammonia), and E. coli using electrochemical and optical techniques. The convergence of materials science, engineering, integration, and the demand for new analyte-specific sensors poses a significant challenge, and researchers are delivering exciting new developments.

This Special Issue “Sensor Innovations for Applications in Water Protection and Management” will highlight developments and improvements to sensors and sensing technologies. There is potential for scientists to demonstrate how information supplied from reliable sensors is necessary for the growth of “big” data analytics, creating opportunities for novel applications and alternative measurements.

In particular, this Special Issue invites novel work demonstrating the use of existing sensors in real applications; the development of novel chemical and biosensors for assessment of water quality; low-cost sensors; autonomous systems for long-term deployment; sensors for challenging parameters like bacteria, toxins, emerging contaminants, or other topics that demonstrate the challenge and huge opportunities for new research and development in sensors, engineering, integration, and implementation in real-world challenges.

Prof. Dr. Fiona Regan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

sensors
biosensors
transducers
optical sensing
deployment and field application
water quality
data analysis

Published Papers (4 papers)

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15 pages, 5291 KiB

Open AccessArticle

16 Ch × 200 GHz DWDM-Passive Optical Fiber Sensor Network Based on a Power Measurement Method for Water-Level Monitoring of the Spent Fuel Pool in a Nuclear Power Plant

by Hoon-Keun Lee, Jaeyul Choo and Joonyoung Kim

Sensors 2021, 21(12), 4055; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21124055 - 12 Jun 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2263

Abstract

This paper presents a remote 16 Ch × 200 GHz dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM)-passive optical fiber sensor (OFS) network. We particularly investigate the remote water-level monitoring capability of the OFS network based on an optical power measurement that features simplicity and a fast processing speed. The OFS network utilizes a seeded amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light that is spectrum-sliced and distributed by an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) towards multiple sensing units (SU), where each SU is installed at a different height in the water pool. Then, each SU reflects either of the two different optical powers according to the medium (air vs. water) back to the monitoring station. Therefore, the total received optical power at the monitoring station linearly changes according to the water level. We can simply recognize the water level by utilizing the optical power meter (OPM) at the monitoring station rather than the optical spectrum analyzer (OSA), which is bulky and expensive and requires a relatively long processing time. Consequently, we can reduce the system complexity, processing time, and cost (both installation and maintenance). However, the OPM-based OFS network requires a new methodology to derive the water level from the measured optical power. Thus, we come up with the reference-to-power ratio (

R P R

) analysis, which can be used for the maximum distance analysis as well as water level recognition. Based on the new reception architecture supported by the new post-processing scheme, the OFS network can distinguish 17 different water levels of the SFP at the monitoring station, which is >40 km away from the SFP, without using any active devices (such as optical amplifiers) at the remote places. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Innovations for Applications in Water Protection and Management)

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25 pages, 3811 KiB

Open AccessReview

Antifouling Strategies for Sensors Used in Water Monitoring: Review and Future Perspectives

by Adrián Delgado, Ciprian Briciu-Burghina and Fiona Regan

Sensors 2021, 21(2), 389; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21020389 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7738

Abstract

Water monitoring sensors in industrial, municipal and environmental monitoring are advancing our understanding of science, aid developments in process automatization and control and support real-time decisions in emergency situations. Sensors are becoming smaller, smarter, increasingly specialized and diversified and cheaper. Advanced deployment platforms now exist to support various monitoring needs together with state-of-the-art power and communication capabilities. For a large percentage of submersed instrumentation, biofouling is the single biggest factor affecting the operation, maintenance and data quality. This increases the cost of ownership to the extent that it is prohibitive to maintain operational sensor networks and infrastructures. In this context, the paper provides a brief overview of biofouling, including the development and properties of biofilms. The state-of-the-art established and emerging antifouling strategies are reviewed and discussed. A summary of the currently implemented solutions in commercially available sensors is provided and current trends are discussed. Finally, the limitations of the currently used solutions are reviewed, and future research and development directions are highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Innovations for Applications in Water Protection and Management)

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19 pages, 4608 KiB

Open AccessReview

Multiplexed Passive Optical Fiber Sensor Networks for Water Level Monitoring: A Review

by Hoon-Keun Lee, Jaeyul Choo and Joonyoung Kim

Sensors 2020, 20(23), 6813; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20236813 - 28 Nov 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3109

Abstract

Water management is a critical mission required to protect the water resources that is essential in diverse industrial applications. Amongst a variety of parameters such as level (or depth), temperature, conductivity, turbidity, and pH, the water level is the most fundamental one that needs to be monitored on a real-time basis for securing the water management system. This paper presents an overview of water level monitoring technologies based on optical fiber sensor (OFS) networks. Firstly, we introduce and compare the passive distributed and quasi-distributed (discrete) sensor networks with the recent achievements summarized. The performance (i.e., sensing range and resolution) of the OFS networks can be enhanced through diverse multiplexing techniques based on wavelength, time, coherence, space, etc. Especially, the dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM)-based sensor network provides remote sensing (where its reach can be extended to >40 km) with high scalability in terms of the channel number that determines the spatial resolution. We review the operation principle and characteristics of the DWDM-based OFS network with full theoretical and experimental analysis being provided. Furthermore, the key system functions and considerations (such as the link protection from physical damages, self-referencing, management of sensing units, and so on) are discussed that could be a guideline on the design process of the passive OFS network. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Innovations for Applications in Water Protection and Management)

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12 pages, 3554 KiB

Open AccessLetter

A Velocity Meter for Quantifying Advection Velocity Vectors in Large Water Bodies

by Farzam Allafchi, Caterina Valeo, Angus Chu, Jianxun He, Waltfred Lee, Peter Oshkai and Norman Neumann

Sensors 2020, 20(24), 7204; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20247204 - 16 Dec 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2316

Abstract

A velocity meter was designed and built in order to meet market needs for an affordable instrument that measures the range of velocity magnitudes and direction experienced in medium- to large-sized water bodies. The velocity meter consists of a graduated plate with an injector protruding from the center and a camera held downward above the plate. Once the Dye Injection Velocity (DIV) meter is in the flow, dye is injected and the camera records the dye fluid transport. The recorded video is analyzed to determine the local flow velocity and direction. The DIV was calibrated for a range of velocities between 0.0094 m/s and 0.1566 m/s using particle image velocimetry (PIV) in a flow visualization flume. The accuracy of the instrument was found to be +6.3% and −9.8% of full scale. The coefficient of determination of the calibration curve was equal to 98%. Once calibrated, the DIV was deployed to the Inverness Stormwater pond in Calgary, Canada, for validation tests against an Acoustic Doppler Velocity (ADV) meter. During the validation tests, both flow velocity magnitude and direction were measured at several spatial points. The velocity magnitude results showed good agreement and the Mann-Whitney test showed no statistically significant difference (p-value > 0.05). At two spatial points, the differences between direction data were significant, which could be caused by the random errors involved in the validation test. However, the averaged data showed good agreement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Innovations for Applications in Water Protection and Management)

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