Groundwater / Bore Hole Monitoring

Application Background

Groundwater depth measurements (often called bore hole monitoring) help in the management of the important groundwater resource on which we depend for many purposes. In particular groundwater resources may be used up through agriculture or mining operations.
Instruments can easily measure the amount of water that resides in our groundwater so we can manage the resource better. Measurements can deepen our understanding of the factors that influence groundwater recharge and lead to more effective water management.

Application Detail

Groundwater depth is measured with a small diameter sensor deep in an observation bore hole. Water depth can be measured with a pressure sensor lowered down the bore hole and immersed in the water. This is call hydrostatic depth method.
Alternatively a standard float-and-pulley sensor system with a small (50mm or 100mm) float and a pulley at the top of the bore hole can also be used to measure depth.
The hydrostatic depth method is widely used as it is convenient to install, however all pressure sensors have some drift which needs to be considered. The float and pulley method is less convenient, especially in narrow diameter bore holes of 100mm, however it is very accurate and is not subject to drift.
Unidata offers the 6542 Hydrostatic Water Depth and Temperature Probe which uses the hydrostatic pressure of water to measure water depths in various environments.
These systems are typically installed in existing bores, perhaps with a diameter of 100 to 200mm and a depth of 5 to 50 meters, with a bore head cap, often in a valve box / enclosure or some other form of bore head arrangement.
A data logger / RTU / NRL needs to be added at the top of the bore for data to be recorded and telemetered to a central location on a regular, perhaps 4 hourly basis.

There are generally two types of customers for these systems:
• A government authority which measures the groundwater levels for water table history generally.
• A mining or oil and gas company which has some mining or drilling activity in the area and has a need to ensure there is no change to the groundwater during their mining or drilling processes for compliance reasons.

The data collected can then be viewed, limits checked and alarms set in the event of a sudden change in the ground water level. The data can then be passed to a statistical groundwater analysis software package for groundwater modelling purposes.

Unidata offers the 3001M Borehole Logger that is designed for use in boreholes of 100mm internal diameter and above. It can be configured to use ether Cellular, LoRa, Iridium or Microsatellite networks as its method of sending sensor data from the field to the Neon Server. A wide range of sensor types are supported, for
example, analog sensors, frequency counters, digital inputs as well as Modbus and SDI-12. Sensors are connected to the logger via pluggable terminal blocks, SQL connector or a custom specified connector, allowing for easy removal of the logger if servicing is required.

Typical Configuration

Options for Application Specific Instruments / InputsUnidata Part NumberDescription
Borehole Neon Remote Logger3001MC / L / I / HCellular, LoRa, Iridium or Microsatellite
Hydrostatic Water Depth Probe6542D-A / B / CPT12 Pressure / Temperature Sensor SDI-12 3.5m, 10m or 20m
Hydrostatic Water Depth Probe - Titanium6542D-T-A / B / CPT12 Pressure / Temperature Sensor SDI-12 3.5m, 10m or 20m
4-20mA Pressure Transmitter6548A-B / CSubmersible Pressure Transmitter 4-20mA 5m or 10m

Options for Neon Telemetry - NRL / NRT / RTU / Field UnitsUnidata Part NumberDescription
Industrial (Metal Enc) Neon Remote Logger 16 Channels3016Options Available: 3G/4G Cellular, Ethernet, Inmarsat, Iridium SBD and LoRa
Industrial (Metal Enc) Neon Remote Logger 8 Channels3008Options Available: 3G/4G Cellular, Ethernet, Inmarsat, Iridium SBD and LoRa
Industrial (Metal Enc) Neon Remote Logger 4 Channels3004/3006Options Available: 3G/4G Cellular, Iridium SBD and LoRa
Neon Remote Logger (Polycarbonate Enc) 4 Channels M Series3004M/3006MOptions Available: 3G/4G Cellular, Microsatellite, Iridium SBD and LoRa
Equatorial Orbit Satellite - Inmarsat2018F-AB0-1 or 3NRT Ethernet with single or triple Ethernet Ports with three Li Batteries
NRT Field Termination Strip2103F2018F and 2022 NRT FTS
NRT Firmware Option2303A-8M8M Extended Memory Option
NRT Firmware Option2303A-8M-CAM8M Extended Memory & Serial Camera Option
NRT Firmware Option2303A-CAMSerial Camera Option

Options for Neon Application Software - Customer ServerUnidata Part NumberDescription
Neon Application Software2302ANeon Server Software Licence Incl 5 NAL
Neon Application Software2302A-10Additional 10 NRT Access Licences
Neon Application Software2302A-20Additional 20 NRT Access Licences
Neon Application Software2302A-50Additional 50 NRT Access Licences

Options for Neon Application Software - Unidata ServerUnidata Part NumberDescription
Neon Application Software2301ANeon Data Initial Subscription Setup Fee
Neon Hosting Service2301A-01Neon Data Service Fee for 1-50 NRTs
Neon Hosting Service2301A-02Neon Data Service Fee for 51-100 NRTs
Neon Hosting Service2301A-10Neon Data Service Fee Metering

Options for Conventional Dataloggers / Field UnitsUnidata Part NumberDescription
Neon Remote Logger 16 Analog Channels / Touch Screen Display3016-00016 Ch NRL (Superseded Prologger 7001D)
Neon Remote Logger 8 Analog Channels / Touch Screen Display3008-0008 Ch NRL (Superseded Stalogger 6004D)
Neon Remote Logger 4 Analog Channels / Touch Screen Display3004M-0004 Ch NRL (Superseded Micrologger 8010C)
Starlog V4 Management Software6308A-AUEStarlog V4 Full Licence Key