RADAC WaveGuide Direction Explosion Proof User Manual

WaveGuide Direction Explosion Proof

User Manual

WaveGuide Direction Explosion Proof

User Manual

Version 5.1-1

5thof June 2018

Applicable for product no.

WG5-DR-EX

Related to software versions:

wdi 5.1

Radac B.V.

Elektronicaweg 16b
2628 XG Delft
The Netherlands
tel: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
website: www.radac.nl

Preface

This user manual and technical documentation is intended for engineers and technicians
involved in the software and hardware setup of the WaveGuide 5 Direction, explosion proof
version (WG5-DR-EX).

Additional information

Please do not hesitate to contact Radac or its representative if you require additional
information.

Contents

Preface

Introduction 1

1 Safety and Security 3

1.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.2 Safety Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.2.1 Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.2.2 Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.3 Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.3.1 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.3.2 EC Declaration of Conformity (for EU) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.3.3 Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.4 Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.5 Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.6 Personal Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7 Warnings and Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7.2 Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7.3 Working Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.7.4 Required Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.8 Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.8.1 Commissioning and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.8.2 Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.9 Accordance with Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.9.1 Explosion Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.9.2 Compliance to RED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 Positioning and Installation 10

2.1 Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.1.1 The Point Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2.1.2 The Line Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.1.3 The Triangle Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2.2 Instalation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.2.1 WaveGuide processing unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.2.2 Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2.2.3 Glands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2.2.4 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2.2.5 Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2.2.6 Closing housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3 WaveGuide system commissioning 22

Step 1. Connect the WaveGuide processing unit to a computer . . . . . . . . . . 23

Step 2. Become an authorized user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Step 3. Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Step 3.1: Set system date and time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Step 3.2: Adjust network settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Step 3.3: Sensor configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Step 4: Perform a system check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Step 4.1: Check the System Information page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Step 4.2: Check the reflection diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Step 4.3: Check measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Step 5: Configure the distribution of data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

4 Using the system 33

4.1 Calculated parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4.2 Data logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Appendix 1: System parameters 35

Appendix 2: System specifications 38

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 perpen­dicular 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.

Warning

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 infor­mation. Chapter 2 specifies the criteria of sensor positioning for optimal quality of mea­surements 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. App endix 2
lists specifications, information about certification and environmental conditions applicable
to the WaveGuide Direction system.

1

Chapter 1

Safety and Security

General

For the correct and safe installation of this product, it is essential that all personnel follow
generally accepted safety procedures in addition to the safety precautions specified in this
document.

Safety Conventions

Warnings

The following warning box is used within this document to urge attention in order to
prevent personal injuries or dangerous situations.

Warning

Carefully read the message in the warning boxes.

Cautions

The following caution box is used within this document to urge attention in order to
prevent damages to the equipment.

Caution

Carefully read the message in the caution boxes.

3

Safety Instructions

The WaveGuide Directional system is a radar based level gauge for measuring water level
and wave characteristics in offshore environments, lakes and rivers.

Warning

Only use the instrument for its intended purpose.

Safety

The mechanical and electrical installation shall only be carried out by trained personnel with
knowledge of the requirements for installation of explosion proof equipment in (potentially)
explosive conditions. The entire installation procedure shall be carried out in accordance
with national, local and company regulations and standards.

Warning - Risk of Explosion

Use only Explosion proof (Ex d) compound cable glands or conduit seals. Taking into

account the local requirements, the local conditions, that the internal volume inside the

sensor is larger than 2 [Liter] and that the sensor is classified as an Ex d IIB T6 Ga/Gb

device.

Warning - Risk of Explosion

Cables and cable glands for at least 80 [◦C] shall be used! Improper installation of cable

glands, conduits or stopping plugs will invalidate the Ex approval of the WaveGuide. The

use of stopping plugs on thread adapters is strongly advised against, as this may create

unsafe Ex d characteristics.

Warning - Risk of Explosion

All lid bolts must be fastened with a torque of 30 [Nm] or 711 [ft-lbf] to prevent danger of

explosion!

Caution

To comply with the IP66/IP67 requirements the blanking elements, threaded adapters,

cable glands and their interface with the housing must also comply with IP66/IP67

requirements.

Warning - Risk of Explosion

To avoid risk of dangerous amounts of electrostatic charging, clean the instrument only

with a damp cloth.

4

EC Declaration of Conformity (for EU)

See the EC declaration of conformity shipped with the device.

Additional Information

If you require additional information, contact Radac or one of its representatives.

Liability

The information in this installation guide is the copyright property of Radac, The Nether­lands.

Radac disclaims any responsibility for p ersonal injury or damage to equipment caused by:

• Deviation from any of the prescribed procedures.

• Execution of activities that are not prescribed.

• Neglect of the safety regulations for handling tools and use of electricity.

The contents, descriptions and specifications in this user manual are subject to change
without notice. Radac accepts no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this
Installation Guide.

Caution

Modification to the instrument may only be carried out by trained personnel that are

authorized by Radac BV. Failure to adhere to this will invalidate the warranty and the

approval certificate.

5

Labels

Each processing unit and sensor carry a label indicating product type, model, serial number
as well as product related specifications and certifications. Figures 1.1 and 1.2 illustrate
examples of such labels.

Figure 1.1: Example of WaveGuide 5 Explosion Proof sensor identification label.

WaveGuide Processing Unit
Model: WGPU4000

RoHS compliant
Made in the Netherlands

www.radac.nl

SN:

i

Nominal power excl. sensors: <4.8Watt
IN: 24-48 VDC, max 2.4A
OUT: V

out

= Vin, max 0.8A per sensor port

Figure 1.2: Example of WaveGuide 5 processing unit identification label located on the bottom side.

6

Personal Safety

Warning

In hazardous areas it is compulsory to use personal protection and safety gear such as:

• Hard hat, fire-resistive overall, safety shoes, safety glasses and working gloves.

• Avoid possible generation of static electricity.

• Use non-sparking tools and explosion-proof testers.

• Make sure no dangerous quantities of combustible gas mixtures are present in the

working area.

• Never start working before the work permit has been signed by all parties.

Note

The emitted microwave energy is far below acceptable limits for exposure to the human

body. A maximum radiation of 0.1 [mW/cm2] per radar sensor is generated.

Warnings and Cautions

General

Warning

Make sure that all power to the instrument is switched off before opening the cover of a

WaveGuide radar. Failure to do so may cause danger to persons or damage to the

equipment. Also, all the covers must be closed before switching on the power.

Tools

Warning

Treat the flange surface of the cover and the housing with care. Keep the flange surface

free of dirt. The O-ring must be present and undamaged.

Warning

Use non-sparking tools and explosion-pro of testers. Use suitable explosion-proof tools

(e.g. testing devices)!

Working Environment

Hazardous Zone

Warning

POTENTIAL ELECTROSTATIC CHARGING HAZARD

Avoid the generation of static electricity. Electrostatic charge/discharge of the device

from/to a person or a tool could ignite a surrounding hazardous atmosphere.

7

Safe Zone

Warning

Make sure that no explosive gas mixtures build up in the working area.

Required Skills

Warning

The technician must have technical skills to be able to safely install the equipment. The

technician also must be trained to work in accordance with the national requirements for

electrical equipment in hazardous areas.

Electrical

Commissioning and Maintenance

• The entire installation procedure must be carried out in accordance with national,
local, and company regulations. The entire electrical installation shall be carried out
in accordance with the national requirements for electrical equipment to be installed
in hazardous areas.

• All wiring entries must be closed using the correct thread type such that the approvals
are not invalidated. For installations using cable glands, use Ex d compound barrier
glands. For installations using conduits, each conduit must be sealed within 18 inches
of the enclosure.

• Improper installation of cable glands, conduits or stopping plugs invalidates the Ex
approval of this device.

• Make sure that the housing of the device is properly bonded to the Protective Earth
(PE).

• The temperature of the device’s coupling due to local heat sources (e.g. contents of
a tank or power dissipation) may not exceed a temperature of 80◦[C].

• Cables and cable glands for at least 80◦[C] (176◦[F]) shall be used, unless ambient
temperature is known to be always less than 50◦[C] (122◦[F]).

Grounding

Warning

Make sure the housing of the device is properly connected to the ground reference! Make

sure the electrical resistance of the ground connection is below the maximum prescribed

by local requirements!

8

Accordance with Regulations

Explosion Safety

ATEX
II 1/2 G Ex d IIB T6 Ga/Gb or Ex d [ia Ga] IIB T6 Ga/Gb
according to KEMA 07ATEX0010 X

IECEx
Ex d IIB T6 Ga/Gb or Ex d [ia Ga] IIB T6 Ga/Gb
according to IECEx KEM 07.0003X

Compliance to RED

This device complies with the Radio Equipment Directive. The device does not cause
harmful interference and accepts any interference received. For more information please
refer to the EC declaration of conformity shipped with the device.

9

Chapter 2

Positioning and Installation

Positioning

Figure 2.1: The 5o[deg] half top
angle of the F08 antenna beam.

For obtaining the best results from each WaveGuide sensor, the
following positioning criteria must be taken into account:

• It is advised to choose a mounting position such that the
WaveGuide radar beam is free of large reflecting obstacles
(the beam of the F08 antenna can be approximated to a
conical shape having a 5◦[deg] half top angle as shown
in Fig. 2.1). The minimum horizontal distance between
a sensor and any obstacle in the beam’s path should be
at least 10% of the vertical distance between the sensor
and the obstacle. This does not only include horizontal
objects in the beam’s path but also vertical structures.

• Any structure that the WaveGuide sensors are mounted
to might have some influence on the waves progressing
around it. Hence, it is advised to mount the sensors at a
position facing the mean wave direction so that they can
measure the least disturbed water surface.

• The minimum measuring distance is at 2 meter. As such,
the sensor should be mounted with its reference point at
least 2 meter above the highest expected waterlevel during
the period in which the water surface is monitored. The
reference level for the mounting height of the radars is
shown in Fig. 2.2.

• A vertically mounted sensor (0◦[deg] tilt angle) results
in optimal performance. But if necessary the WaveGuide
sensor can be mounted with a maximum tilt angle of 15

◦

[deg] (tilted to face the direction away from the structure
it is mounted to).

Figure 2.2: Top view of radar an­tenna and its polarization plane.

10

The working principle of the WaveGuide Direction is based on the measurement of surface
elevation at three different positions, using an array consisting of three radars. The array
design criteria are:

• The footprints (measurement points) of the three radars on the sea surface must form
a triangle.

• To obtain directional information of the same quality for all wave directions an equi­lateral triangle is preferable but not critical.

• The measurement of wave directional parameters is optimal for wave lengths that are
3 to 30 times the array size (distance between the center of two radar footprints). For
example, if the dominant wave periods are between 3 and 10 [sec] long (wave lengths
from 15 to 150 [m] long). Then for such waves, a radar array size of 5 [m] is optimal.

To allow the WaveGuide Direction to be installed in various locations it is designed to be
mounted in one of three array configurations. All three configurations allow for the radar
array footprint to form an equilateral triangle on the sea surface at mean water level.

• The point array is the recommended configuration in most situations. Here the three
radars are mounted on a single frame. One radar is looking vertically downwards.
The other two radars are tilted with an angle of 15 [deg] from vertical in the direction
away from the downward looking radar. In this case the size and position of the array
footprints depends on the choice of tilt angle and the vertical position of the radars
(height above actual water level).

• The line array, where the mounting positions of the three radars form a straight line.
The two outside radars are mounted at zero inclination angles and the middle radar
is tilted with an angle between 10 and 15 [deg] in a direction perpendicular to the line
the radars are mounted on. In this case the size and position of the array footprints
depends on the mounting position, the tilt angle and the vertical position of the radars
(height above actual water level).

• The triangle array, where the mounting positions of the three radars form a triangle
and all three radars are mounted at a zero inclination angle (resulting in optimal per­formance). In this case the size and orientation of the array footprints are determined
only by the horizontal positions of the radars.

11

Figure 2.3: Definitions for WaveGuide Direction systems.

The proper installation of a WaveGuide Direction array of radars requires understanding
the following naming conventions and standards:

• Each of the three radars, defined by its serial number, is given a functional name (A,
B or C). If necessary it is possible to adjust these relations through the user interface.

• By definition, radar B will always be positioned on the right side of the line A-C, or
in the case of a line array on the line A-C.

• The positions of radars A and C define the array orientation with respect to the
reference North.

• When specifying a tilt angle for radar B and C, the tilting direction will be aligned
with the position of radar A and the tilt angle will be positive when tilting away from
A. (Right hand rule in Fig. 2.3.)

• When specifying a tilt angle for radar A the tilting direction will be aligned with the
center between positions B and C and positive in the direction of the center between
B and C. (Right hand rule in Fig. 2.3.)

• On the "Configuration -> Sensor" page of the web-interface the following parame­ters can be found (more information about accessing and using the web-interface is
available in Chapter 3):

– Distances between radars A, B and C.
– The angle from the reference North to A to C.
– Relation between the radar A, B and C (functional) and the physical radars

defined by their serial number.

– The configuration parameters and reflection diagrams of the selected radar.

12

The Point Array

Figure 2.4: Top view of the
three radar positions labeled A,B
and C in an anticlockwise se­quence. In this case the labels
apply to the physical radars and
their functional definitions.

The p oint array has proven to be an easy to install configuration
that requires the smallest amount of space on the supporting
structure. The correct installation requires the radars to be
installed in a counter clockwise manner with radar A installed
vertically and B and C at a fixed tilt angle.

Upon request, Radac can provide a standard mounting frame
(product no. WG5-MD-EX) that allows for easy and accurate
mounting of the system (Fig. 2.5 ). The mounting frame can
be used to mount the three radars together while allowing the
vertical mounting of one radar and the tilted mounting of two
radars (tilted to 15 [deg] from vertical). This results in an ar­ray footprint size that is approximately 25% of the mounting
height. Using the array design criteria it can be concluded that
this configuration is optimized for measuring directional wave
parameters for wave lengths that are 0.75 to 7.5 times the mounting height. For example,
a mounting height of 10 [m] is optimal for wave lengths in the range from 7.5 to 75 [m]
(wave periods from 2.2 to 7 [sec]). While a mounting height of 25 [m] is optimal for a wave
length range from 18.75 to 187.5 [m] (wave periods from 3.5 to 11 [sec]).

Figure 2.5: Simplified top view of a point array
mounting frame (product no. WG5-MD-EX).

13

The optional point array mounting frame (product no. WG5-MD-EX) consists of two
parts as shown in figure 2.5. The mounting frame should be installed on two horizontal
beams (the horizontal beams are not included in the mounting frame package). Note:
when designing and producing the horizontal mounting beams, enough horizontal distance
should be left between the radars and the structure they are mounted to. That is, to
prevent reflections (as explained in the beginning of this chapter). If the customer chooses
to design and manufacture such a frame, the antenna centers of the mounted radar sensors
must form an equilateral triangle. When installing the radar array it is advised to first
install the mounting frame, then install the three radar antennas and finally mount the
radar housings to the antennas.

Radar sensor A B C

Tilt angle [deg] 0 15 15
Min. Signal [dB] 25 25 25

Table 1.1: Advised sensor settings specific to a point array.

14

The Line Array

A BC

+

Figure 2.6: Top view of the three
radars labeled A, B and C.

In some cases it can be decided to mount the three radars in
line with each other, for example when mounting them to the
railing of an offshore platform. This installation is called a line
array. In this case the central radar needs to be tilted to obtain
a triangular reflection footprint, which is illustrated in Fig. 2.6.
In a line array, the tilting definitions (Fig. 2.3) require that
radar A is positioned between radar B and C. This allows tilting
radar A away from the line B-C and by doing so forming a
triangle with the radar foot prints on the water surface. The
direction of the radar tilt angle is defined with the right hand
rule as shown in Fig. 2.6. It is advised to select non-tilted radar
B or C as the "heave source", which is the source of data for calculating the non-directional
wave parameters.

A mounting plate can be used to fix each radar to two horizontal beams at the desired
location (an example sketch of such a plate is given in Fig. 2.8). Upon request, Radac can
supply such a mounting plate (product no. WG5-MP-EX). During installation it is advised
to install the mounting plate first and secondly install the radar.

Upon request, Radac can supply an optional frame (product no. WG-MH-SS) that allows
for mounting a radar at angles 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 [deg] with the horizontal plane shown in
Fig. 2.7). Each frame includes a mounting plate.

Figure 2.7: Optional frame that allows mount­ing of the radar at different angles (product no.
WG-MH-SS).

6 [mm]

200 [mm]

240 [mm]

320 [mm]

270 [mm]

57 [mm]

35 [mm]

15

[mm]

6-

[mm]

35 [mm]

Figure 2.8: Optional mounting plate (product
no. WG5-MP-EX) for a WaveGuide 5 Compact
Radar.

Radar sensor A B C

Tilt angle [deg] 15 0 0
Min. Signal [dB] 25 25 25

Table 1.2: Advised sensor settings specific to a line array.

15

The Triangle Array

The triangle array consists of three radars placed in vertical positions, typically about 3 to
6 meter apart. It can be challenging to find a good mounting position for the triangle array
on an offshore platform. On the other hand, from the perspective of retrieving the strongest
radar reflections, this is the optimal configuration for large mounting heights (above 45m).

As with the other array configurations, radars A, B and C are defined by their serial
number as indicated on the type plate. The mounting positions of radars A, B and C must
be anticlockwise when looking from above (as shown in Fig. 2.9). The user-interface allows
the user to customise the used configuration.

A mounting plate can be used to fix each radar to two horizontal beams at the desired
location (an example sketch of such a plate is given in Fig. 2.10). Upon request, Radac can
supply this mounting plate (product no. WG5-MP-EX). During installation it is advised
to install the mounting plates first and secondly install the radars.

Figure 2.9: The three radar positions are num­bered A,B and C in an anticlockwise sequence.

6 [mm]

200 [mm]

240 [mm]

320 [mm]

270 [mm]

57 [mm]

35 [mm]

15

[mm]

6-

[mm]

35 [mm]

Figure 2.10: Optional mounting plate (product
no. WG5-MP-EX) for the WaveGuide 5 Com­pact Radar.

Radar sensor A B C

Tilt angle [deg] 0 0 0
Min. Signal [dB] 25 25 25

Table 1.3: Advised sensor settings specific to a triangle array.

16

Instalation

USB DRIVE

Power

Supply

Processing

Unit

Water

Surface

Ethernet

24-48VDC

RS232

A B

C

Figure 2.11: Block diagram of the Waveguide 5 Direction. The three sensors A, B
and C are connected to the local network as well as the processing unit. This diagram
assumes the processing unit and the radars to be powered by a single power supply.

For the system to function, the three radars and the processing unit must be powered and
connected through an Ethernet network. The processing unit provides the option to export
data over Ethernet and/or via RS232 serial ports. It also allows the storage of data on a
USB drive. Additionally each of the radars has internal data storage.

Depending on the installation site a junction box and a network switch could be used to
reduce the length of required cable.

The following sections explain how to connect the radars and the processing unit.

17

WaveGuide processing unit

Note

The RS485 connectors labelled as Sensor 1, Sensor 2 and Sensor 3 are not used in the

WaveGuide 5 Direction system.

USB LAN1

LAN2

ON/OFF

Input DC

COM1

COM2

RS 232

Sensor 2 Sensor 3

Sensor 1

RS 485

V

out

A B

G

nd

+

RS 485

V

out

A B

G

nd

+

RS 485

V

out

A B

G

nd

+

G

nd

RxT

x

+

24V - 48V

Figure 2.12: Connector panel on the WaveGuide processing unit.

The connector panel of the WaveGuide processing unit includes the following functional
connectors:

• COM1: Serial port for RS-232 data output.

• COM2: Serial port for RS-232 data output.

• USB: For connecting a USB data storage.

• LAN ports: Ethernet access to the processing unit.

• Input DC: For supplying the processing unit with power (24 to 48 [V]).

• Sensor 1, 2 and 3: Not in use.

18

Cables

When selecting a cable for use with a WaveGuide system, the following requirements must
be used:

• Two wires for power transmission. The choice of power supply will influence the
diameter and insulation thickness of those wires.

• Four wires for data transmission. The use of an Ethernet data connection necessitates
the use of four twisted-pair wires (22-24 [AWG] and minimum insulation thickness of

0.245 [mm]).

• The cable must be shielded and can have a maximum length of 80 [m].

Upon request, Radac can supply an optional cable that complies with the WaveGuide
system requirements for power and data tran smission.

Note

All connections to the instrument must be made with shielded cables with exception of

the power supply. The shielding must be grounded on both ends of the cable. For more

information regarding wiring and cable specifications.

Glands

Depending on local regulations, this device can be connected by using glands, direct entry,
or conduits

An explosion proof (Ex-d) compound cable gland (M20), plus a M20 to 3/4" NPT converter
are supplied with each WaveGuide radar for use as a safe and watertight cable entry point.
The supplied gland allows the installation of cables from 6.5 to 11.9 [mm] in diameter.

Two approved 3/4" stopping plugs are provided for sealing the unused cable inlets

Note

Instructions supplied by the manufacturer for installing the included cable gland are

provided separately in its packaging.

Caution

The use of Ex-d certified materials of an inappropriate IP value or the improper

installation of cable glands, conduits or stopping plugs will invalidate the Ex approval of

the WaveGuide.

19

Housing

Figure 2.13: Cover A.

Figure 2.14: Cover B.

Figure 2.15: Terminal compart­ment and connections.

To access the WaveGuide radar case:

• Open cover A as shown in Fig.2.13.

• Open and remove cover B as shown in Fig.2.14.

• Use an 8 [mm] Allen key to loosen the 16 bolts of the

housing. Make sure the 4 bolts on the side of the hinge
are entirely screwed into the cover and do not protrude
beyond the flange of the housing. Otherwise the flange
of the housing can be damaged when closing the cover.

• Open the housing cover.

Wiring

The housing contains two sets of DIN rail connectors as well
as multiple ground connection points.

Figure 2.15 shows the DIN rail connector set and the sequence
of rele vant poles. The poles number 00 lab ele d PSX:Vin-a/L
and 01 labeled PSX:Vin-b/N are used to supply the system
with either 24-65 [VDC] or 65-240 [VAC] power. The internal
power supply is reverse polarity protected hence the polarity
of the connected wires does not matter.

Please do take into account the voltage drop due to wire resis­tance between the power supply unit and the radar, the radar
must at all times receive more than 21.0 [VDC]. For this rea­son, to be sure to stay within the limits, at longer distances
it is advised to use a 36 [VDC] or a 48 [VDC] power supply.

The poles numbered 02, 03, 04 and 05 labeled RFL:Tx+,
RFL:Tx-, RFL:Rx+ and RFL:Rx- relate to Ethernet data
RJ45 pins 1, 2, 3 and 6.

Label RJ45 Profinet Color

Tx+ 1 Yellow
Tx- 2 Orange
Rx+ 3 White
Rx- 6 Blue

Table 2.1: Ethernet wiring instruction.

20

The poles numbered 06 and 07 labeled RFL:LED+ and RFL:LED- are pre-connected to a
status indicating LED. Upon powering the system the status LED will turn on and continue
to shine while the system is starting up. When the startup process is completed and the
system is running in normal mode the LED will blink every 4 [sec] ( 2 seconds on and 2
seconds off). In the case that a network connection can’t be detected, the LED will blink
every 1 [sec] ( 0.5 seconds on and 0.5 seconds off).

Additionally a reset function is implemented on poles 08 and 09 that are both labeled
RFL:Reset, which should only be temporarily connected when resetting the radar to its
factory settings or setting a fixed IPV4 address.

Note

Connecting the Reset poles for 0.2 to 2 [sec] during operation will cause the sensor to use

the default IPV4 address 192.168.111.71 until the system is rebooted. Connecting the
Reset poles for longer than 10 [sec] during operation will cause the system to reset to

default factory settings and rebo ot.

The cable shielding must be connected to ground at both ends of the cable. Since there can
be a potential difference between the ground at the radar and the ground at the processing
unit, a capacitor (10 to 100 [nF]) should be used on one side of the cable between its shield
and the ground.

Warning

Improper wiring can damage the radar’s communication board. Always check that power

is applied to the right connector before connecting it!

Warning

Safety depends on proper grounding of the radar housing. Check the resistance of the

ground connection directly after installation. The measured ground resistance must be

below the maximum prescribed by lo cal grounding requirements.

Closing housing

Make sure that the flange is clean, that the O-ring is in place and not damaged. Then:

• Make sure to properly close the lid.

• Use an 8 [mm] Allen key to tighten the 16 bolts of the housing to a torque of 30 [nm]

or 711 [ft-lbf].

• Open the small cover (cover-A).

• Place the 2 hooks at one end of cover-B behind the axis on the housing and push it

down carefully.

• Push down cover-A carefully.

21

Chapter 3

WaveGuide system commissioning

With all system components correctly connected as described in the previous chapter,
the processing unit can be configured using the following steps (explained in the current
chapter):

1. Connect the WaveGuide processing unit to a computer.

2. Become an authorized user.

3. Configure the system.

4. Perform a system check.

5. Configure the distribution of data.

The display on the processing unit shows system information and measured parameters and
is controlled using the buttons on the front:

• Left and right: To switch between groups.

• Up and down: To switch between items within each group.

• OK: To confirm mounting and unmounting of USB data storage.

The processing unit display contains the following groups and items:

• Parameters
– Scrolls through selected parameters (Appendix 1, Table 1)

• Network

– Host name
– IP address

• System information

– Date and time
– Uptime
– Software version

• USB storage (only appears when USB device is connected)

– State
– Mount USB disk?/ Unmount USB disk?

22

Step 1. Connect the WaveGuide processing unit to a computer

Once the WaveGuide processing unit is connected to a Local-Area-Network, communication
with the WaveGuide processing unit can be done via the available web-interface (Fig. 3.1).
For this purpose any web browser with JavaScript enabled can be used.

Figure 3.1: The web-interface of the WaveGuide processing unit.

Note

A computer can be connected to the WaveGuide processing unit directly using a network

cable (a crossover cable is not require d).

By default, the WaveGuide processing unit tries to obtain an IPv4-address by searching
the Local-Area-Network for a DHCP server. When required the user can also setup the
system to always use a defined static IPv4 address.

When the WaveGuide processing unit completes the startup process, its IP-address can
be found via the LCD display (it can take up to 5 minutes for the IP-address to appear).
To view the IP-address, scroll through the menu using the left and right buttons until
network information is displayed and then use the up and down buttons to switch between
displaying the Host-Name and the IP-address.

An other way of locating the system in a network is by making use of the installed Zeroconf
client. Using a Zeroconf browser makes it easy to find the processing unit and the connected
radars.

To access the web-interface, type the IP-address indicated on the LCD display in the address
line of your web-browser (e.g. 192.168.111.71). Note, that your computer must be on the
same IP-address subnet as the WaveGuide processing unit that you are trying to connect
to.

The WaveGuide processing unit homepage contains three main sections (Dashboard, Con­figuration and Status) as listed in Table 3.1.

23

Link Description

Dashboard Visualisation of the measured data.
Configuration Changing the settings and configuration of the system.
Status System state overview and general information.

Table 3.1: Description of processing unit main sections.

Step 2. Become an authorized user

To modify the WaveGuide system’s configuration you need to be an authorized user. There­fore, an authorization dialogue will appear when the user enters the configuration page.

The authorization will be valid for a duration of 30 minutes. However, the web browser may
store the login name and password. In that case, the authorization data will be submitted
automatically by the browser without a pop-up dialog. The default login password is
“radac”.

After successful authorization, the user can view and change settings. After submitting
any new settings a reboot dialog will appear. To ensure proper initialization of the new
settings, the WaveGuide processing unit must be rebooted.

Step 3. Configuration

The configuration page contains five sections as listed in Table 3.2.

Link Description

Date&Time For viewing and setting the system time.
Network For viewing and changing the network settings.
Sensor For viewing and changing the sensor specific settings and for view-

ing reflection diagrams.
Subscriptions To set up data export over the serial ports or over the network.
Data Logger To log data on a USB drive.

Table 3.2: Description of configuration page sections.

Step 3.1: Set system date and time

In order to ensure an accurate timestamping of the data, the WaveGuide processing unit
runs an ntp time service to automatically correct its system time to UTC time. For the ntp
service to work, the system needs to be connected to the Internet, as it needs to be able to
reach its default ntp servers.

In the case that the ntp servers can not be reached, it is possible to manually set the system
date and time using the "Date&Time" menu (Fig. 3.2). Adjusting the date and time while
the ntp service is running is not possible as the time will be automatically corrected back
to UTC time. The date and time are kept by an on-board clock. Please be aware that such
on-board clocks are not infinitely accurate and can drift over the years while the system is
used.

24

Figure 3.2: Setting the system time and date.

If the WaveGuide system is not connected to the Internet but instead connected to a
local network that includes a time server, then the processing unit can be adjusted to
synchronize time and date with the local time server. For more information regarding such
an adjustment please contact Radac.

Step 3.2: Adjust network settings

The network settings can be modified via the web-interface (Fig. 3.3). It is advised to use
the default setting, to automatically obtain the network settings from a DHCP server, and
assure from the side of the DHCP server that the system will receive the same IP-address
at all times. This setting provides the easiest setup and ensures the correct settings for the
local network.

To ensure an accurate system time, the WaveGuide processing unit is by default configured
to use an ntp time service. For this service to work, a connection to the Internet is necessary.

Configuring the use of a static IP could disable the NTP service when the system is not able
to reach any nameserver. The user interface allows to manually add or remove nameserver
addresses.

Step 3.3: Sensor configuration

The WaveGuide Direction is designed with a high level of flexibility in mind, to apply
to every possible mounting situation. The sensor menu allows the configuration of those
parameters that are specific to the sensor installation (Fig. 3.4).

During the installation process it is important to register the p osition of each of the three
sensors. The identity of each sensor is defined by its serial number which shown on the
type plate.

25

Figure 3.3: Adjusting the network settings.

Figure 3.4: Sensor configuration menu.

26

In the box labelled as "Distance [cm]" fill in the distances between the radar reference points
(see Fig. 1.2 for the radar reference point). Next fill in the "Orientation [deg]", defined by
the angle from the vector pointing to the North to the line A-C (from radar A to radar
C). The “preview geometry” field to the right, automatically generates an illustration in
topview of the array configuration. The geometry preview includes the approximated radar
reflection footprints based on the parameters provided (see Fig. 3.5).

Figure 3.5: Preview of the array orientation based on user input.

The mounting height above the reference water level, and possibly a number of other
parameters, needs to be set for each specific mounting location. This can be done in the
configuration table that is shown in Fig. 3.6.

Figure 3.6: Setting sensor parameters (changes only take effect after the system is rebooted).

Radar serial nr.

The first item in the table, the radar serial number, allows modification of which sensor
shall serve as sensor A, B or C.

Mounting height

The mounting height is defined as the height of a radar above the reference water level in
[cm]. The reference point for measuring the height of each radar is on the central axis of the
cylindrical housing and on the plane defined by the b ottom-side of the sensor’s mounting

27

flange (as shown in Fig. 1.2).

Tilt angle

The tilt angle, or the angular deviation from the vertical at which the radar is mounted, is
measured in degrees. For the point array, it is used to tilt radars B and C away from radar
A and obtain a favourable radar-footprint-triangle. In the triangle array, all 3 radars have
a tilt angle of 0 [deg]. While for the line array, only radar A will need to have a tilt angle
applied (as explained in Chapter 1).

Max. Range

The range maximum is the maximum distance (in [m]) at which the sensor will detect the
water level. In general there is no need to modify this parameter. Yet in some situations
it is advised to set this parameter to a value lower than two times the distance from the
radar to the lowest expected water level. This is to remove any disturbing effect due to a
double reflection of the radar signal.

Min. Range

The range minimum is the minimum distance (in [m]) at which the sensor will detect the
water level. This parameter is used to avoid spurious measurements and should be set
depending on the installation location. If there are any nearby surfaces that can reflect the
radar signal, the range minimum should be set to a value higher than the distance to those
reflecting surfaces. The range minimum parameter should not be lower than 2 [m] to avoid
interference with the internal reflection in the radar antenna.

Min. Signal

The signal minimum is the lower limit for the signal power that will be considered in
water level measurements. This parameter is by default set to 25 [dB], and should only be
adjusted by an expert user.

Heave Source

With three radars available it is possible to select one of the three radars to supply its
data to the algorithm for calculating all non-directional parameters (i.e. wave height and
period). The radar that is used for measuring non directional parameters is called the
’Heave Source’.

Reflection diagram

The reflection diagram gives a snapshot of raw radar data in the frequency domain. The
reflection diagram provides a useful insight in the quality of the reflection signal that is
obtained by the radar.

After changing the sensor parameters for the three sensors by pressing the submit button,
rebooting the system is required for the changes to take effect. The reflection diagram of
each sensor should be checked to ensure that the water level measurement is within the
defined limits (More information can be found in ’Step 4.2: Check the Reflection Diagrams’).

28

Step 4. Perform a system check

This section explains how to inspect the quality of measurements after configuring and
rebooting the WaveGuide processing unit (the start-up process can take up to 5 minutes):

Step 4.1: Check the system information page

The system information table can be reached through the status menu item on the right
top. The system info page displays the communication status (as shown in Fig. 3.7). A
communication status "INIT" in dicates that the WaveGuide processing unit is initiating the
communication process with the radar sensors. Once the communication process is initiated
(a process that can take up to five minutes after reboot) the displayed status becomes ’OK’.

Figure 3.7: System information.

In the same table, the ratio between the number of performed and invalid measurements
gives an indication of the system p erformance. When the system is set up in a correct man­ner, the number of invalid measurements should be below 10% of the number of performed
measurements.

Step 4.2: Check the reflection diagrams

The reflection diagram for each sensor can be accessed via the sensor configuration page by
clicking on the corresponding "reflection" b utton (Fig. 3.8).

A reflection diagram is a graphic representation of a 25 [ms] scan, where the signal strength
[dB] is plotted against the measurement distance [m]. A scan consists of one up-sweep
(increasing frequency, blue curve) and one down-sweep (decreasing frequency, red curve).

Often several peaks are visible in a reflection diagram as shown in Fig. 3.8. This is caused
by the multiple signal reflections between radar, water surface and any objects within the
radar foot-print. The leftmost p eak is generated by the so called internal reflection.

Based on the defined range maximum and minimum values, the WaveGuide system shows
the applied boundaries using vertical green lines. A horizontal green line shows the min­imum accepted reflection strength (the value set as the Signal Minimum [dB] parameter).

29

Figure 3.8: The reflection diagram of one of the three sensors.

The three green lines together form a region in which a measurement is accepted, and any
result outside of it is ignored.

Step 4.3: Check the measurements

On the ’Dashboard’ page, the heave parameter shows data measured during the last 1, 3
or 10 minutes. Please inspect the available heave and slope graphs to visually confirm the
measured data. From the same menu all calculated parameters are available. Please take
into account that it can take up to 10 minutes to gather enough raw data to calculate the
parameters.

Step 5. Configure the distribution of data

The WaveGuide processing unit can transmit measured and calculated data via its serial
ports (COM1 & COM2) and distribute data over the network to several addresses at the
same time. In the ’Subscriptions’ page under ’Configuration’(Fig. 3.9 and Fig. 3.10), the
existing subscriptions can be removed or modified and new ones can be added. Simultaneous
subscriptions are possible.

Figure 3.9: List of defined subscriptions.

The address for a serial port subscription should have the following format: ’port’, ’baud­rate’, ’number of data bits’, ’number of stop bits’, ’parity’, ’handshake’. For example the
default values are, COM2,9600,8,1,NONE,NONE.

If the address string is not complete the default values will be used. For example, COM2,9600
will be interpreted as COM2,9600,8,1,NONE,NONE.

30

Figure 3.10: Subscriptions dialog.

The format for the network message is: ’http://ip.address:port’. For example,
http://192.168.111.103:8032.

The format of the output string can be chosen from the drop-down menu. Four message
format options are available, Default, Format01, Format02 and Format03.

After modifying or creating a new subscription, click the ’update’ button and authorize
the changes. This will change and store the settings and implement the subscription with
immediate effect (no system reboot is required).

Default message format

The Default format starts a new line for each parameter in the subscription. The time used
in the Radac format is Unix Epoch time in milliseconds (UTC time in milliseconds since
00:00:00 on the 1stof January 1970). Each line in the Default format ends with a Line-Feed
character (char10). When a parameter is disapproved or not available the string ’NaN’ is
inserted instead of the actual value (NaN stands for Not a Number). An example of the
output strings in the Radac format is:

time=1157359800206;sensor=radcan;H1=-319.9429cm;

time=1157359259847;sensor=radcan;Hm0=1.2517135cm;

time=1157359860268;sensor=radcan;H1=NaNcm;

Format01 message format

The Format01 message, formerly called the SESAM format, used by the Dutch Ministry
of Infrastructure and the Environment (Rijkswaterstaat), is only defined for the heave and
the 10 second mean (H parameter). It consists of 8 character lines (Line-Feed character +
status character + sign character + 4 character value in cm + Carriage-Return character).
For a regular message the status character is a space. If an error occurs the status character
becomes a letter A. An example of the output strings in the RWS format is,

31

+0001

-0004

A+9999

Format02 message format

Modifications can be made upon request. For example, the Korean Meteorological Admin­istration (KMA format) preferred a readable time format in the Korean time zone. An
example of the output strings in the KMA format is:

time=2006/09/04 17:58:00;H1=-319.70026cm;

time=2006/09/04 17:48:59;Hm0=1.3314528cm;

time=2006/09/04 17:59:00;H1=NaNcm;

Format03 message format

The Format03 message, formerly called the FGTI format, is used by the Belgium govern­ment. Where one string is used for all required information (parameters + spectrum) per
processing interval. The chosen parameters are separated by a semicolon (;) and the 51
spectrum values (czz10) are included. The ’NaN’ string is replaced with a ’-9999’ string.
An example of the output string in the FGTI format is:

time=1159898219628;sensor=radcan;H1/3=0.101608045cm;Hm0=0.070818946cm;Czz10=0.0,5.0869432E-5,

1.3970293E-4,4.7124052E-4,7.1615004E-4,7.975558E-4,7.6214876E-4,7.1647903E-4,7.6107396E-4,6.847791E-

4,6.6441507E-4,4.567583E-4,7.3393347E-4,8.3342794E-4,7.177321E-4,8.320104E-4,9.631133E-4,4.7024636E-

4,5.479116E-4,7.0798665E-4,7.973897E-4,8.964213E-4,0.0010354978,5.15721E-4,8.0113555E-4,8.009798E-4,

8.0272334E-4,8.0752687E-4,6.5126666E-4,8.172201E-4,5.1516114E-4,6.2683446E-4,5.63858E-4,3.5074513E-4,

6.5980386E-4,5.53472E-4,7.269641E-4,6.289437E-4,6.156702E-4,5.8503065E-4,6.2185246E-4,5.5198127E-4,

4.41777E-4,2.7770927E-4,3.3221033E-4,7.5746316E-4,6.8937184E-4,6.167301E-4,7.730603E-4,6.513776E-4,

5.5705215E-4cm2/Hz;

32

Chapter 4

Using the system

Calculated parameters

Once the system is commissioned the facilities of data presentation, reflection diagram,
system info etc. can be used to monitor the proper operation of the system.

Water level and wave height information are calculated using the measurements of one radar
(the heave source). For directional information the measurements of all three radars are
analysed and the directional parameters are calculated. There are two analysis routines:

Wave analysis

The Standard Wave Processing Package (SWAP) is used in performing time and frequency
domain analysis on the measured data to calculate wave parameters. This package is the
standard processing package used by the Dutch government for wave height analysis. It
also meets the standards set by the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
(OGP). A detailed description of the SWAP package is available on the Radac website
(

http://www.radac.nl).

The SWAP parameters are calculated every minute using 20 minute data blocks. The 20
minute observation block is chosen as a compromise between short enough to obtain "small"
variance in the statistical parameters and long enough to assume it to be a stationary
process. The time stamp used on SWAP parameters is the mean between the start and end
time of the 20 minute data block.

Tide analysis

The tide parameters H10, H5 and H1 are calculated by averaging measured data over 10
[min], 5 [min] and 1 [min] periods respectively.

Each parameter receives a time stamp central to the block of data that was used for its
calculation. The spectra and parameters that can be calculated by the WaveGuide system
are described in Appendix 1. Due to the large number of parameters, only a selection of the
most commonly used ones is displayed on the user interface. This selection can be modified
by Radac upon request.

Data logging

A USB storage device can be easily mounted to the WaveGuide processing unit for data
logging. It needs to be said that without taking additional precautions, USB storage is
not a safe method for archiving data. Since power failures can damage USB devices, it is
advised to use an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) together with a high quality USB
device. Having said this, usb storage provides a good backup option while sending data
out over a serial or network connection.

33

The WaveGuide processing unit supports FAT32 , Ext2 and Ext3 formats. The majority
of USB devices is delivered with FAT32 format.

Note

The USB device used must not be formatted using NTFS.

A USB drive must be manually mounted when first used, and will be automatically re­mounted on system reboot. Mounting a USB drive can be done via the push buttons on
the front panel of the WaveGuide processing unit. Use the right arrow button to scroll to
the storage menu. If the message ’Disk not mounted’ is displayed, click the down button.
If the message ’Mount USB disk? OK’ is displayed, click OK to mount the device.

To unmount or remove the disk safely, use the right arrow button to scroll to the storage
menu. Then click the down button to arrive at the "Safely remove? OK" option. Clicking
the OK button safely unmounts the device.

The ’Data Logger’ page in the web user interface (Fig. 4.1) gives access to the stored
data. Individual files or complete folders can easily be downloaded using the download
button Additionally the data can be transferred easily to other computers using an FTP
application. Both login name and password for FTP file transfers are by default set to
’radac’. The port number is set to 21.

Figure 4.1: Data logger page.

The folder structure used is one directory per system. In this directory, sub-directories are
created that contain the raw data and parameter files (one file per day per parameter).

If the drive is full, a delete mechanism starts. This allows the system to store the most
recent parameters at the expense of the oldest data.

34

Appendix 1: System parameters

Available parameters

In the web user interface a selection of the raw and processed parameters is by default made
available to the user. Tables 1 to 10, describe all the parameters measured and calculated
by the WaveGuide Direction.

Name Description Unit

heave Instantaneous water level (10 Hz) cm
slopeX Instantaneous water slope in x-direction (1.28 Hz) −
slopeY Instantaneous water slope in y-direction (1.28 Hz) −
heaveAVG Instantaneous water lever averaged over all three radars (1.28 Hz) cm

Table 1: Raw data

Name Description Unit

Czz5 5 mHz energy density spectrum cm2/Hz
Czz10 10 mHz energy density spectrum cm2/Hz
WTBH Table of wave heights cm
WTBT Table of wave periods s

Table 2: Spectra and wave tables

Name Description Unit

Hm0 Significant wave height from M0 cm
M0 Band energy from Czz10(f) in the range f =[30-500] mHz cm

2

M0_M Band energy from Czz10(f) in the range f =[30-1000] mHz cm

2

Hm0_M Significant wave height from M0_M cm
Tm02 Average period from M0 and M2 in the range f=[30-500] mHz s
Tm02_M Average period from M0 and M2 in the range f =[30-1000] mHz s
TE0 Band energy from Czz10(f) in the range f =[500-1000] mHz cm

2

TE1 Band energy from Czz10(f) in the range f =[200-500] mHz cm

2

TE1_M Band energy from Czz10(f) in the range f =[200-1000] mHz cm

2

TE2 Band energy from Czz10(f) in the range f =[100-200] mHz cm

2

HTE3 Wave height from TE3 (Band energy from Czz10(f) where f =[30-100] mHz) cm
Fp Frequency f where Czz10(f) has its maximum in the range f =[30-500] mHz mHz
Fp_M Frequency f where Czz10(f) has its maximum in the range f =[30-1000] mHz mHz
AV10_H Number of degrees of freedom in the energy density sp ectrum (4 * Ndlr_H) −
HS7 Wave height from band energy from Czz5(f) in the range f =[30-142.5] mHz cm
Tm0_1 Minus first moment period from M-1 and M0 in the range f =[30-500] mHz s
Tm0_1_M Minus first moment period from M-1 and M0 in the range f =[30-1000] mHz s

Table 3: Parameters of spectral processing (over a 20 [min] data block)

35

Name Description Unit

H1/3 Average height of the highest 1/3 of the waves cm
TH1/3 Average period of the highest 1/3 of the waves s
H1/10 Average height of the highest 1/10 of the waves cm
H1/50 Average height of the highest 1/50 of the waves cm
T1/3 Average period of the longest 1/3 of the periods s
GGH Average height of all waves cm
GGT Average period of all waves s
AG2 Number of waves −
SPGH Standard deviation of the wave height cm
SPGT Standard deviation of the wave period s
Hmax Height of highest wave cm
Tmax Period of longest wave s
THmax Period of highest wave s
HCM Crest height, maximum positive value of all data within one analysis period cm

Table 4: Parameters from time domain processing of data collected (over a 20 [min] data block)

Name Description Unit

Nwt_zP Sum of periods of waves divided by analysis period −
Ndlr_H Number of valid sub-series of the signal in the vertical direction −
Ngd_zP Percentage of data-points that do not contain error code before pre-processing −
Nu_z Number of valid data-points that are rejected because of 0-sigma errors −
Nv_z number of valid data-points that are rejected because of 4-sigma errors −
Nd_z number of valid data-points that are rejected because of 4-delta errors −
Ni_z number of interpolated or extrapolated vertical wave motion datapoints −

Table 5: Quality parameters (over a 20 [min] data block)

Name Description Unit

H Average height over last 10 seconds cm
H1 Average height over last 1 minute cm
H5 Average height over last 5 minutes cm
H10 Average height over last 10 minutes cm

Table 6: parameters from tide processing

Name Description Unit

Th010 10 mHz spectrum of mean direction deg deg
S0bh10 10 mHz spectrum of directional spreading deg deg

Table 7: Directional spectra

Name Description Unit

Th0 Average mean direction in the frequency band 30-500mHz deg
S0bh Average directional spreading in the frequency band 30-500mHz deg

Table 8: Directional parameters

36

In the directional spectral analysis the frequency range from 30-500mHz is divided in sep­arate frequency bands. These frequency bands are given in the Table 9.

Name Description Unit

B1 200-500 mHz
B2 100-200 mHz
B3 30-100 mHz
B4 Peak frequency band ( fmax-∆ f to fmax+∆ f ) mHz

Table 9: Frequency bands from 5 [mHz] spectra

Per frequency band 2 parameters are calculated. These parameters are given in Table 10.

Name Description Unit

Th0_ Mean direction of the directional distribution in the frequency band deg
S0bh_ Average width of the directional distribution in the frequency band deg

Table 10: Parameters in each of the frequency bands

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Appendix 2: System specifications

WaveGuide radar

Mechanical

Weight 18.5 [kg] (per sensor incl. antenna 2.8 [kg])
Casing material Chromatized aluminium

Electrical

Radar frequency 9.319 – 9.831 [GHz]
Modulation Triangular FMCW
Emission The emitted microwave energy is far below acceptable limits for exposure

of the human body. Depending on the type of antenna, a maximum

radiation of 0.1 [mW] is generated.
Power requirements 24-65 [VDC] and 8 [Watt] or 65-240 [VAC] and 8 [Watt]
Processor ARM CortexTMA9 792MHz
Connectivity Ethernet
Memory On board backup memory

Environmental conditions

Ambient temperature -40 to 65 [oC]
Relative humidity 0 – 100 %
Ingress protection IP67

Figure 1: WaveGuide Explosion Proof dimentions.

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WaveGuide processing unit

Dimensions 170 x 172 x 85 [mm] (depth x width x height)

19” rack mounting available on request
Processor ARM CortexTMA9 792MHz
Serial data export 2 x RS232 (COM1 and COM2)
Network data export 3 x Ethernet port for configuration, data viewing and data export
Power requirements 24-48 [VDC], 4.8 [Watt]
Operating temperature -20 to 65 [oC]
Cooling No fan required
Display 2 x 20 characters
Memory On board flash
Non functional 3 x RS485 serial port

General system specifications

Sampling rate 10 [Hz]
Wave heights 0 – 60 [m]
Wave periods 0 – 100 [sec

Water level accuracy < 1 [cm]

Processing period:

wave height 20 [min] (SWAP standard)
wave direction 20 [min] (SWAP standard)
tide 10 [sec], 1, 5 and 10 [min])

processing interval:

wave height moving window, all parameters refreshed every 1 minute
wave direction moving window, all parameters refreshed every 1 minute
tide moving window, all parameters refreshed every 1 minute

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