Radac BV

After a profound evaluation of several years the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) has adopted the WaveGuide System as water level and wave height sensor in their primary measuring network.

For wave heights the SWAP program is available, the standard wave height and wave direction processing of the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) and meets the standard of oil companies (E&P forum).

The WaveGuide is world wide in use for:

• coastal defense and flood warning.
• harbor management & ship guidance.
• monitoring work conditions at sea.
• monitoring water levels in rivers for water management and flood warning.

The vertical motions of the ocean surface play an important role in human life. Wind generated waves and tides are the most well known, but also phenomena as storm surge, tsunami, seiches, global circulation and sea level rise have a tremendous influence at many aspects of our living.

The WaveGuide is world wide in use for:

• Coastal defense and flood warning
• Harbor management & ship guidance
• Monitoring work conditions at sea
• Monitoring water levels in rivers for water management and flood warning
• Long term wave measurements for climate studies

Benefits:

• Very accurate
• Easy to install
• No need for recalibration
• No maintenance
• Suitable for all weather conditions

Offshore
'Marine operations in connection with the construction and maintenance of offshore installations require accurate wave data.' Mounted high above the water level (up to 70 m) the Free Space WaveGuide is suited to measure wave heights and tides up to the most extreme conditions. It is demonstrated that in all wind and wave conditions the standard deviation for water level is only 1cm. For wave information it is shown that the WaveGuide and Datawells Waverider perform equally well.

The WaveGuide is without any moving parts, there is no need for any preventive maintenance nor cleaning. A long term stable zero and a constant sensitivity are guaranteed by the very stable digital reference. Accordingly, (re)calibration is not necessary.

WaveGuides installations are built on oil platforms and on off shore wind parks. With the available “Wave and Tide Processing Software” raw data, spectra and parameters can be requested and presented on the web browser at the PC. All data or a selection can be stored in a data logger.

Harbors and Coast
“Living in coastal areas and deltas has historically appealed to millions of people. It is however a risky business. Many countries are vulnerable not only to flooding, but also to water depletion, shortages of groundwater, subsidence, salt intrusion and pollution. With these dangers surrounding us, we have been forced to become skilled water managers”. (Netherlands Water Partnership)

In area's like coasts, harbors and deltas typical phenomena like waves, tides, storm surge, tsunami and harbor oscillations occur.

The Freespace WaveGuide is mounted high above the water level and, without any moving parts, there is no need for any preventive maintenance nor cleaning. A long term stable zero and a constant sensitivity are guaranteed by the very stable digital reference. Accordingly, (re)calibration is not necessary. Comparison studies demonstrated that in all wind and wave conditions the standard deviation for water level is only 1cm. For wave information it is demonstrated that the WaveGuide and Datawells Waverider perform equally well.

In more protected areas the motions of the water surface can be measured by a WaveGuide radar on top of a completely open standpipe (Stilling Well version). Cleaning, due to marine growth is hardly needed. The rapid motions of the water surface are filtered in the WaveGuide server. This gives the opportunity to measure faster phenomena like seiches.

With the available “Wave and Tide Processing Software” raw data, spectra and parameters can be requested and presented on the web browser at the PC. All data or a selection can be stored in a data logger.

Rivers
“River water management is becoming, worldwide, more and more an important topic. Extreme hydrological events like flood and droughts have enormous impact on human health and ecosystems.“

In more protected areas, compared to the sea environment, the motions of the water surface can be measured in different ways. It can be done by a Free Space WaveGuide like at sea or if it is more convenient the WaveGuide can be mounted on top of a stand pipe (Stilling Well version). A small hole in the pipe to create a stilling well is not needed.

With the WaveGuide radar on top, the pipe can be completely open. The rapid motions of the water surface are filtered in the WaveGuide server. This gives the opportunity to measure faster phenomena. Cleaning, due to marine growth is hardly needed.

With the available “Tide Processing Software” raw data and parameters can be requested and presented on the web browser at the PC. All data or a selection can be stored in a data logger.

On board
'Access to accurate, real-time wave information is critical for ships in harbor environments as well at open sea.' The WaveGuide “On board” consist of a sensor unit at the bow of the ship and a Server. The sensor unit contains a WaveGuide Radar to measure distances to the water surface. These measured distances have to be compensated for the vertical motions of the radar itself. A motion sensor is therefore incorporated in the sensor unit. The WaveGuide Server takes care of synchronization, collection and compensation of the measurements. The compensated radar signal is processed in the same way as the standard WaveGuide mounted on a fixed platform.

GPS is optional available for synchronization with UTC time and for position information.

With the available “Wave and Tide Processing Software” raw data, spectra and parameters can be requested and presented on the web browser at the PC. All data or a selection can be stored in a data logger.