Smart Water Sensors to monitor water quality in rivers, lakes and the sea

Mar 04, 2014

Libelium launched a Smart Water wireless sensor platform to simplify remote water quality monitoring. Equipped with multiple sensors that measure a dozen of the most relevant water quality parameters, Waspmote Smart Water is the first water quality-sensing platform to feature autonomous nodes that connect to the Cloud for real-time water control.

Waspmote Smart Water is suitable for potable water monitoring, chemical leakage detection in rivers, remote measurement of swimming pools and spas, and levels of seawater pollution. The water quality parameters measured include pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), conductivity (salinity), temperature and dissolved ions (Na+, Ca+, F-, Cl, Br-, I-, Cu2+, K+, Mg2+, NO3-).

The Waspmote Smart Water platform is an ultra low-power sensor node designed for use in rugged environments and deployment in Smart Cities in hard-to-access locations to detect changes and potential risk to public health in real time.

Waspmote may use cellular (3G, GPRS, WCDMA) and long range 802.15.4/ZigBee (868/900MHz) connectivity to send information to the Cloud, and can accommodate solar panels that charge the battery to maintain autonomy. Smart Water nodes are ready to deploy out of the box and sensor probes can be recalibrated or changed in the field, with kits provided by Libelium.

“Smart Water is an improvement on existing water quality control in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and low operational costs. For municipalities, water quality detection and monitoring systems have to be reliable, autonomous, and flexible,” said David Gascón, CTO at Libelium. “With Waspmote, a full Smart Water solution is now available at a price point ten times less than current market solutions, for better management of water resources.”

Applications:

  • Potable water monitoring: Common chemical parameters include pH, nitrates, phosphates and dissolved oxygen. Measuring O2 (or DO) is an important gauge of water quality. Changes in dissolved oxygen levels indicate the presence of microorganisms from sewage, urban or agriculture runoff or discharge from factories. A right level of ORP minimizes the presence of microorganisms such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria.
  • Chemical leakage detection in rivers:  Extreme pH or low DO values signal chemical spills due to sewage treatment plant or supply pipe problems.
  • Swimming pool remote measurement: Measuring oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), pH and Cloride levels of water can determine if the water quality in swimming pools and spas is sufficient for recreational purposes.
  • Pollution levels in the sea: Measuring levels of temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen and nitrates gives feedback for quality-sensing systems in seawater.
  • Corrosion and limescale deposits prevention: By controlling the hardness of the water we can avoid the corrosion and limescale deposits in dishwashers and water treatment devices like heaters. Water hardness depends on: pH, temperature, conductivity, and  Ca+/ Mg2+ concentrations.
  • Fish Tank Monitoring (Aquaculture/Aquaponics): Measuring the water conditions of aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks. Important values are pH ,Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and water temperature.
  • Hydroponics: Plants that take the nutrients directly from the water need a precise pH and Oxygen in water (DO) levels to get the maximum growth.

Waspmote Smart Water Technical Characteristics:

  • Sensor probes measure more than 12 chemical and physical water quality parameters such as pH, nitrates (NO3), phosphates, dissolved ions (Na+, Ca+, F-, Cl, Vr-, I-, Cu2+, K+, Mg2+, NO3-) dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity (salinity), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), temperature, etc. Pollutants can be detected and treated in real-time, to ensure good water quality over an entire water supply network. Extreme pH values may indicate chemical spills, treatment plant issues, or problems in supply pipes. Low levels of DO may indicate the presence of microorganisms due to urban/agricultural runoff or sewage spills. ORP measures how well water sanitization is working.
  • Waspmote transmits sensor readings to the Cloud via 3G, GPRS, or WCDMA cellular connections; in the case of several nodes located in the same zone, Waspmote sends values to the Meshlium Internet Gateway via long range RF bands 868MHz and 900MHz. Sensor data is available in real time, even from sensor nodes situated in remote locations.
  • CE / FCC /IC certification and quad-band cellular connectivity (850/900/1900/2100MHz).Waspmote supports any cellular connection provider, and is ready for deployment in any country in the world.

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