HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST SYSTEM FOR REMOTE WEATHER MONITORING

Do you work in a remote environment? Monitoring the weather in harsh or hazardous conditions can be a challenge, especially on remote sites where there is limited power available. Wind monitoring is very demanding in terms of data processing requirements.

To choose the best system for remote weather monitoring, you should consider a number of factors:

• The device must be able to keep up with quick changes in wind speed and direction.
• The system must include reliable communication technology and a long-life battery, especially if there is no local power supply.
• Remote weather monitoring can also be physically demanding, particularly in heavy-duty industries like construction, transportation, and energy. Site conditions may include exposure to windblown dust, heavy rainfall, and snow. To be viable under these conditions, weather monitoring equipment must be dust-tight, watertight, and tolerant of extreme heat and cold.
• All weather monitoring systems are at risk of being detached from their support. Therefore, resistance against impact and immersion is important.

WHAT STANDARDS DO WEATHER MONITORING SYSTEMS NEED TO COMPLY WITH?

The wind can change completely, without warning, and in a matter of seconds. Therefore, data is only reliable if it is logged fast enough to capture quick variations in the wind. Recognising this, the International Electrotechnical Commission developed the IEC 61400 standard, which applies to all monitoring systems in wind turbine applications. To be compliant, a remote weather monitoring system must have a sampling rate of at least 0.5 Hz, which is equivalent to one measurement every two seconds.

Although the IEC 61400 standard was developed for wind power applications, it provides a reliable industry benchmark for all wind monitoring equipment. For example, considering that wind gusts are among the most dangerous winds and only last for a few seconds; a slow data logger cannot measure them reliably.

Another important standard to consider is the IEC 60509, which establishes the sealing levels for electrical equipment against solids and liquids. The sealing level is indicated by the letters “IP”, which stand for International Protection, plus a two-digit number.

• The first digit indicates protection against solids, and a larger number indicates higher protection. The highest possible value is 6, which indicates complete dust-tightness.
• The second digit indicates protection against liquids. The highest possible value is 9K, which indicates the unit is resistant to steam-jet cleaning. A value of 8 indicates immersion resistance up to a specified pressure. Additionally,  a value of 7 indicates protection against low-depth immersion.

For example, an IP67 enclosure provides increased protection against solids and liquids, compared with an IP54 enclosure.

DEDICATED WIND MONITORING SYSTEMS VS GENERIC DATA LOGGERS

In remote weather monitoring applications, a common mistake is believing that a generic data logger is enough. After all, the measurements gathered for wind and other weather variables become data at the end of the day. However, weather monitoring has special requirements that often exceed the design parameters of generic data loggers.

To measure the wind, you need data precision and depending on site conditions you may also require physical toughness and a long-term energy supply. Generic equipment may be too slow in terms of data monitoring and lack the physical toughness to withstand harsh weather conditions. If there is no electric power supply, remote weather monitoring systems must have a long-life battery as a bare minimum. Preferably it should have some means to generate its own electricity, such as a solar panel or a small-scale wind turbine.

HOW WINDCRANE SOLVES REMOTE WEATHER MONITORING PROBLEMS

With a proven track record of more than 10 years, the performance features of WINDCRANE have been field-tested in heavy-duty industrial applications. WINDCRANE’S features have been carefully designed to enable it to perform under even the harshest weather conditions:

• WINDCRANE exceeds the 0.5 Hz sampling rate required by the IEC 61400, measuring weather data at 1 Hz. This is one data point per second.
• The enclosure has an IP67 rating according to IEC 60509. This offers the highest degree of dust protection and one of the highest degrees of liquid protection – immersion up to one metre. In addition, a polycarbonate housing makes the unit impact-resistant.
• In a remote weather monitoring application, it can be equipped with a solar panel to produce its own electricity.
• The unit features quad-band GSM connectivity, and data is upgraded to bank-grade cloud servers at 10-minute intervals. Additionally, it can hold up to 10 years’ worth of data locally if deployed in a location with poor GSM coverage. This means it will not run out of storage space in most applications.

When choosing the best application for remote weather monitoring, it’s crucial to look for equipment that can withstand harsh and varied conditions. WINDCRANE has the durability and reliability you need to perform in the worst conditions. Coupled with it’s dedicated wind monitoring and data precision, WINDCRANE has the advanced technology to perform under all conditions.