Rivertrace’s internal R&D team is made up of mechanical, electrical, software and commissioning engineers. They are dedicated to continually developing existing products, supporting the sales team on individual customers’ requirements and addressing new legislative and industry problems.

Our Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are actively supported with many of our client relations and act as collaboration between industry and university.

Our measuring technologies cover four main analysing methods;

Scattered Light

The measurement is based on the fact that oil particles present in the sample water as scattered light. This technique involves directing a straight beam of light through a glass tube full of the sample on test. Our algorithms calculate the oil content based on the amount of light scatter detected at the optical receivers located at specific locations around the glass tube.

Microscopy

Determination of oil concentration by measuring the droplet size through image processing and recognition software. For this method, we use a microscope to look at the sample at a rate of three images per second. These images are then analysed by our software which can determine the visible differences between oil, gas and solids. The software will then determine the size and quantity of each object and display an accurate oil measurement, disregarding unwanted interference from gas and solids.

Fluorescence

Fluorescence is a very accurate technique for detecting oil in water. A straight beam of Ultra violet light at a known wavelength is directed into a glass tube filled with the sample on test. When oil droplets are excited by ultraviolet light, they will emit light at a different wavelength. Detectors located at very specific angles around the glass tube detect the light fluoresced from the oil. With the information from these detectors, our sophisticated algorithms can determine the oil content of the sample.

Ultra Sonics

Ultra-sonics is ideally suited to applications where optical detection principles will not cope, such as solid particles in heavy oils. For this technique, we direct an ultrasonic transducer into our sample where solid particles within the sample will scatter the ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic receivers in certain positions will detect the ultrasonic feedback and our mathematical formulas can then calculate the concentration of contaminants.

Smart Bilge 15PPM Oil Content Monitor - Specification Sheet