Applied
Microsystems' Sentry products work as an
integrated two-dimensional early warning
system for oil spills or hydrocarbon leaks.
The
system detects hydrocarbons in- or on-water
by illuminating water with UV light and
measuring the fluorescent return from any
oil that is present. Unlike other fluorometers,
both Leak-Sentry and Spill- Sentry™ include
on-board intelligence that allows each sensor
to classify normal background hydrocarbons
levels on a site-by-site basis. As a result,
the user is able to manage location specific
hydrocarbon tolerances and avoid costly
false positive alarms.
Depending
upon the sensor chosen, the system can detect
both floating and immersed or emulsified
hydrocarbons. Spill-Sentry™, a floating
sensor in buoy format, can alarm on as few
as five microns (five one millionths of
a metre) of hydrocarbon sheen, concentrations
similar to that of a rainbow sheen. Leak-Sentry,
our oil sensor designed for underwater applications,
has similar sensitivity levels.
When
either Spill-Sentry or Leak-Sentry detects
a relevant change in hydrocarbon levels,
the sensor transmits a detection signal
to a PC base station or a process control
system (ie. SCADA). The PC base station,
running the Spill View application software,
can then emit telephone alerts to key decision
makers.
Underwater
and on-water sensors can be integrated into
one single oil spill or leak detection system,
thereby affording multi-dimensional coverage.
The sensors can communicate with the base
station via cable, spread-spectrum radio,
satellite, or GSM communications.
The
specific features of Spill-Sentry and Leak-Sentry
vary slightly; to learn more, please visit
our Product
Catalogue or review the Technical Specifications
listed below.
Sensitivity:
Extremely sensitive
and able to detect as few as 5 microns
of hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
flexible, with the ability to detect all
polycyclic aromatics including crude,
aviation, bunker, and gasoline among others
Effective
notification:
Contact lists allow the user to identify
multiple individuals to be telephoned
in case of spill
Contact prioritization feature lets
the user set availability times for specific
individuals
Alarm messages can be programmed in
local language
Security
of response:
Alarm acknowledgement feature ensures
that calls continue until a set number
of key contacts have acknowledged receipt
of the alarm
System history:
Logged display provides a recorded
history of raw data, time stamps, program
parameter changes, and notification attempts
(who was called, time of the call, and
if the call was acknowledged or not)
Easy-to-use:
Sensor settings can
be set and updated from base station
Three easy-to-use interfaces
give operator a clear understanding of
Spill-Sentry™ status: map display, table
display, and log
Map display identifies
location of all buoys and enables spill
tracking
Table display identifies
buoy status (OK,COM ERROR,OIL DETECTED
and LOW BATTERY)
Log display provides system history
Data
export capabilities:
Data can be exported for graphing or
report generation purposes
Leak-Sentry includes a USB download
port, for rapid data download
Flexible
deployment:
Sensors can be land-powered or solar-powered
for remote operation
Sensors can communicate with base station
via fixed link, radio, or satellite communications
