Conductivity salinometer for continuous monitoring of small density changes over an extended region

Abstract

Experiments involving mixing of solute-induced stratified fluids often require continuous monitoring of small changes in local fluid densities over an extended region. An instrument has been constructed for this purpose using multiple miniature bipolar conductivity probes controlled by a sequential electronic switching circuit. The accuracy of the system is within 0.04% in the range of specific gravities from 0.9967 to 1.0200. It has been used to study destratification due to molecular diffusion, as well as surface shear-induced destratification, in a two-layer fluid.