Development of Electromagnetic Current Meter for Marine Environment

Abstract

Ocean current is one of the most important parameters in ocean observation, and ocean current measurement based on electromagnetic induction is becoming more and more important because of its advantages such as simple structure and high measurement accuracy. However, it is difficult to detect weak current signals in a complex marine environment. In this paper, an electromagnetic induction current measurement scheme based on lock-in amplification technology is proposed. Key technologies such as the evaluation of induced current intensity, overall design, circuit design, and orientation design of the current meter were studied. The prototype of the electromagnetic current meter was developed and tested in the laboratory and at sea. The repeatability of current velocity and current direction was higher than 1.5 cm/s and 1.5°, respectively. A comparison test between the electromagnetic current meter prototype and Nortek ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) installed on a buoy at sea was carried out, and the correlation coefficients of the current velocity and current direction datum were 0.90 and 0.96, respectively. Through continuous on-site and fault-free operations at sea, the experimental data show that the electromagnetic current meter has good adaptability at sea, which provides feasible technical and equipment support for ocean current observation.