Product category:
Hydrometry, Environment and Floods
News Release from: Siemens Automation and Drives | Subject: HydroRanger 200
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 18 August 2004
Peterborough lift lock goes ultrasonic
Siemens Automation and Drives has donated a new ultrasonic level measurement system to the famous Peterborough Lift Lock in Peterborough, Canada to measure water levels upstream and downstream
As the famous Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, it has received a high tech birthday present Siemens Automation and Drives, also based in Peterborough, has donated a new ultrasonic level measurement system
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 24 Aug 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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"The Peterborough Lift Lock is one of the engineering marvels of the world," said Dave Bignell, President and CEO of Siemens Milltronics part of the Automation and Drives business.
"The level measurement system is our birthday present to the Lift Lock as it turns 100.
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It is also our gift to the community as our company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
We're proud to have our technology installed in this landmark".
Bruce Kitchen, Water Control Engineer for the Trent-Severn Waterway, says the new system will help ensure proper operation of the lock.
"The new ultrasonic level system will enable the lockmaster to tell at a glance the elevations of the water upstream and downstream," he said.
"Accurately monitoring and coordinating these levels will help our staff operate the lock efficiently and at the proper speed.
It will help us ensure there is a differential of 30 centimetres so the Lift Lock operates properly.
The weight differential of the extra 30 centimetres of water in the upper chamber is necessary to drive the system that raises and lowers boats almost 20 metres on their journey through the Waterway".
In this application, Echomax XRS-5 transducers are mounted upstream and downstream in ABS tubes and enclosed in aluminum pipe.
This protects the ultrasonic devices from being bumped or damaged by boats in the lock.
The transducers emit sonic pulses and receive echoes back from the water surface.
The transducers are wired into a HydroRanger 200 transceiver, located in the control room, which processes the signals and provides a digital readout of the water levels.
HydroRanger is known for its reliable, accurate continuous level measurement.
It's also compact, which is important in the tight quarters of the Lift Lock's small control tower.
The Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada is an icon of the Trent-Severn Waterway, a national historic canal operated by Parks Canada.
The historic lock stations of the Trent-Severn are central to numerous towns and villages in the Waterway corridor.
The 100th anniversary of the Peterborough Lift Lock in 2004 is a significant milestone in Canadian history.
Parks Canada, the Friends of the Trent-Severn Waterway, and the community of Peterborough and area have been working together for over two years to organise an anniversary celebration for the Peterborough Lift Lock, an engineering marvel that attracts 160,000 visitors annually.
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