The aim of this project was to construct a multisensory device capable of estimating the concentration of silt in water. The chosen sensor technology for this project was the Optical Backscatter (OBS) sensor due to its effectiveness in measuring suspended solids concentrations (SSC) and turbidity in water.
OBS sensors operated by emitting light into the water and detecting the scattered light. The intensity of the scattered light was proportional to the concentration of suspended particles in the water. Key properties of OBS sensors that made them suitable for this application included:
- Scattering Angle: OBS sensors detected light scattered over a specific range of angles.
- SSC Measurement: The light scattered by suspended particles correlated directly with SSC, making OBS sensors highly effective for continuous monitoring of sediment concentrations.
- Calibration: OBS sensors could be calibrated with natural or synthetic sediment samples, enabling accurate conversion of sensor signals to SSC values.
- Circuit Assembly: The circuit for the OBS sensor was assembled according to the provided schematics. This included integrating the light emitter, photodetectors, and other electronic components.
- Calibration Setup: A preliminary calibration setup was established to determine the range of angles at which silt bent the light. This involved using pure silt samples to measure the scattering effect.