Dayu M80 Echo Sounder with 88kHz Sensor for Liquid Level Monitoring in an 18-Meter Test Well
In test wells, shafts, or large-diameter observation wells, liquid level measurement is a critical part of hydrological monitoring and groundwater resource management. Recently, a customer inquired about measuring the liquid level in a well with an inner diameter of 18 meters and smooth concrete or steel plate walls. The customer plans to provide their own buoy and asked us to recommend suitable echo sounding equipment. Dayu Electronics' solution is to use the M80 Echo Sounder paired with an 88kHz transducer, using an acoustic method combined with the buoy to complete the liquid level measurement.
Why is an acoustic echo sounder plus buoy combination needed?
For a large shaft with an 18-meter diameter, conventional submersible level gauges or float-type level gauges have issues such as difficult installation, inconvenient maintenance, and slow response. Since the customer already has a buoy, it suggests they intend to mount the sensor on the buoy, which rises and falls with the liquid surface, thereby directly measuring the distance from the buoy to the bottom or to the well opening. This “dynamic measurement” approach places higher demands on the sensor's directivity and anti-interference capabilities.
The M80 Echo Sounder is a portable device designed by Dayu Electronics for medium-to-long-range underwater depth sounding. It features high transmission power, strong echo recognition capability, and stable data output. Paired with the 88kHz transducer, the beam angle is relatively narrow (typically around 10° to 12°), making it less susceptible to multiple reflection interference from the smooth well walls in an 18-meter diameter well. Additionally, this frequency is not sensitive to bubbles or suspended matter in the water, making it suitable for a stationary or slowly rising/falling buoy platform.
System Integration and Buoy Adaptation
The customer-provided buoy offers an excellent foundation for the installation and protection of the equipment. In actual deployment, the 88kHz sensor of the M80 will be firmly installed at the bottom of the buoy using a rigid connection.
Vertical Alignment Assurance: The buoy ensures that the sensor remains vertically suspended in the water, allowing the ultrasonic beam to be transmitted straight downward. This not only avoids side-wall reflection interference that could arise from smooth well walls but also eliminates ranging errors caused by sensor tilting.
Furthermore, the customer mentioned that the well walls are smooth, which is a common challenge in acoustic measurement. Ultrasonic waves can produce strong reflected echoes from smooth hard surfaces (such as steel plates or mirror-finished concrete). If the sensor's beam angle is too wide, side echoes can interfere with the identification of the true bottom echo. We selected the higher frequency of 88kHz to narrow the beam angle, effectively reducing side-wall reflections. The M80's built-in digital filtering algorithm can differentiate echo intensities from various distances and preferentially select the strongest bottom echo, thereby ensuring data accuracy.
Dayu Electronics is always committed to providing professional, customized underwater sensing solutions. The combination of the M80 Echo Sounder and the 88kHz sensor, with its stable performance and minimal blind zone, will provide accurate and reliable data support for your test well liquid level monitoring.