Skip to main content

Biral showcases meteorological equipment at UK highways show

Meteorological specialist Biral recently exhibited its range of advanced weather and visibility sensors at the Highways Management Show in Coventry, UK Biral, set up in 1975, works with companies and organisations across all industries, including road and transportation, to deliver solutions to monitor visibility and local weather conditions as part of smart road systems and intelligent transport networks. Biral said that its VPF and SWS Visibility and Present Weather Sensors ranges are particularly bene
January 24, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
Meteorological specialist Biral recently exhibited its range of advanced weather and visibility sensors at the Highways Management Show in Coventry, UK

8558 Biral, set up in 1975, works with companies and organisations across all industries, including road and transportation, to deliver solutions to monitor visibility and local weather conditions as part of smart road systems and intelligent transport networks. Biral said that its VPF and SWS Visibility and Present Weather Sensors ranges are particularly beneficial to highways applications due to their highly reliable and accurate readings. These sensors can be used to warn motorists of roadside fog, limited tunnel visibility, bridge conditions and general meteorological issues. The correct precautionary information can then be given to road users, such as adjusting carriageway speed limits and issuing fog and reduced visibility warnings.

Biral noted that its SWS range is especially well suited to highways applications as its combination of serial and analogue interfaces can assist with local signage control and can be directly connected to a wider network. The sensors are also used indirectly, to monitor pollution levels in tunnels and control the ventilation systems. They can also act as secondary fire detectors in tunnels due to their sensitivity to smoke particles. The VPF and SWS ranges have been used for an extensive range of applications, some exceeding 20 years, which proves the reliable performance and durability of the equipment. The company also exhibited a range of products from German manufacturer Adolf Thies, for which Biral is the exclusive UK distributor. This range includes meteorological sensors for relative humidity, temperature, air pressure, radiation, wind speed and direction and precipitation. Biral said that its own products sit alongside those of Thies to offer the complete range of meteorological measurements required by local, national and governmental level authorities across the UK transport network. To this end, Biral is developing a Road Weather Information System (RWIS) to be launched next year. The system will combine all of the key meteorological measurements into one compact, reliable and easy to install and use system.

Biral has also developed equipment with the ability to accurately monitor the movement of lightning. The company said that its BTD-300 Thunderstorm Detection system can detect a lightning strike to a range of 83km. The stand-alone unit warns of approaching thunderstorms and reports back to the control centre, giving operators enough time to safely shut down or postpone operations until the system has detected the strike to have safely passed.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Scottish trial for OTT HydroMet’s ecoLog 1000
    April 25, 2022
    An OTT ecoLog 1000 water level logger with cellular data connection to Hydromet Cloud was trialled upon the Vales Burn Bridge in Scotland.
  • Edeva makes Actibump available globally
    August 4, 2022
    Edeva, the Swedish manufacturer of Actibump, have, after 10 years and 100 installations in the Nordics and Australia, has made the system available worldwide.
  • Trimble’s haulage tool offers efficiency for extraction operations
    March 23, 2017
    Trimble says that its latest LOADRITE H2250 Haul Truck Monitor can help boost haulage efficiency in extraction operations. The new model is designed for use in rigid haul trucks and is an in-cab display and sensor system with an InsightHQ cloud reporting option for reporting. The H2250 provides fast reporting of data for haul truck production, helping boost output while limiting costs. The system is designed to help quarry managers, supervisors and operators by presenting information to monitor and impro
  • The Highways Agency aims to address workzone crashes
    April 10, 2013
    The UK’s Highways Agency is telling drivers to take extra care and to stick speed limits at roadworks, to prevent deaths and injuries among both road users and road workers. Eight road workers have been killed in the last three years while improving and maintaining the strategic road network in England. In addition there are many near misses, with members of the public driving through coned off areas or colliding with works vehicles. The UK Government is investing additional funding in road improvements acr