Modular, Flexible, Low-Cost Microstructure Measurements: The Epsilometer

Abstract

AbstractThe Epsilometer (“epsi”) is a small (7 cm diameter × 30 cm long), low-power (0.15 W), and extremely modular microstructure package measuring thermal and kinetic energy dissipation rates, χ and ε. Both the shear probes and FP07 temperature sensors are fabricated in house following techniques developed by Michael Gregg at the Applied Physics Laboratory/University of Washington (APL/UW). Sampling eight channels (two shear, two temperature, three-axis accelerometer, and a spare for future sensors) at 24 bit precision and 325 Hz, the system can be deployed in standalone mode (battery power and recording to microSD cards) for deployment on autonomous vehicles, wave powered profilers, or it can be used with dropping body termed the “epsi-fish” for profiling from boats, autonomous surface craft or ships with electric fishing reels or other simple winches. The epsi-fish can also be used in real-time mode with the Scripps “fast CTD” winch for fully streaming, altimeter-equipped, line-powered, rapid-repeating, near-bottom shipboard profiles to 2200 m. Because this winch has a 25 ft (~7.6 m) boom deployable outboard from the ship, contamination by ship wake is reduced one to two orders of magnitude in the upper 10–15 m. The noise floor of ε profiles from the epsi-fish is ~10−10 W kg−1. This paper describes the fabrication, electronics, and characteristics of the system, and documents its performance compared to its predecessor, the APL/UW Modular Microstructure Profiler (MMP).