Introduction - RADAC WaveGuide 5 Direction User Manual

Introduction

The principle of operation of a WaveGuide 5 Direction system is based on the synchronized
measurements of sea elevation (heave) at three different spots on the surface of the water.
Using these measured elevations, the water surface slopes are calculated in two perpen-
dicular horizontal directions. Then the correlations between the calculated slopes and the
measured heave values are used to determine the wave directional information.
The WaveGuide processing unit supplied with the system takes care of the data handling
(synchronizing and processing measurements as well as distributing and presenting data).
The WaveGuide processing unit also facilitates commissioning and (remote) servicing of the
system. All facilities are accessible via the built in web-server (running on the WaveGuide
processing unit).
To perform the synchronized measurements, 3 sensors are included. In the WaveGuide
5 Direction Explosion Proof system the included sensors are WaveGuide 5 Water-Level
Explosion Proof sensors. The sensors communicate their measurements to a WaveGuide
Direction processing unit.
The WaveGuide sensors are low power X-band FMCW radars that measure the distance
between the water surface and their antennas with an accuracy of < 1 [cm].
The WaveGuide waterlevel sensors are available in two versions:
• The Explosion proof version, where the electronics are build into an explosion proof
certified housing.
• The Compact version, where the antenna and electronics are built into a compact
stainless steel housing. The antenna and electronics are the same in both versions
but the stainless steel version is easier to handle due to its compact size.
This manual describes the Explosion Proof version of the WaveGuide 5 Direction. Please
refer to the radac website for all other manual versions.
Do not use the instrument for anything else than its intended purpose.
This manual consists of 4 chapters. Chapter 1 provides safety and security related infor-
mation. Chapter 2 specifies the criteria of sensor positioning for optimal quality of mea-
surements and illustrates the mounting and installation procedures. Chapter 3 describes
the commissioning of the system via the user interface. Chapter 4 explains data processing,
data presentation and data distribution within the system.
Please refer to Appendix 1 for a list of measured and calculated parameters. Appendix 2
lists specifications, information about certification and environmental conditions applicable
to the WaveGuide Direction system.
Warning
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