Bed profile tracking and data acquisition system for hydraulics physical models

A practical solution for the control of a bed profiler system with automatic data transfer to a computer is presented. The system is intended for recording the profiles of variable shape sediment bottoms in hydraulics physical models. The new instrument corresponds to a modern design of a classic one, with better performance. New features include higher robustness and speed, improved power drive and motor control in the vertical motion control, as well as a microcontroller based unit for x, y coordinate recording and serial communication with a PC. The new system has been used in an experimental hydraulic flume for the study of reservoir sedimentation, in order to characterize both high grain sediment (delta deposition) and low grain turbidity currents for the validation of mathematical models. Experimental results are shown to demonstrate the appropriate performance.