Biral’s RWS-30 weathers poor tunnel visibility

Meteorological equipment specialist Biral has launched the RWS-30 road tunnel weather sensor for accurate and reliable visibility measurements. The sensor is easily integrated with systems in road and tunnel applications and monitors obstruction to vision caused by fog, smoke and exhaust fumes. The company says that the forward scatter measurement principle provides a compact design with measurements that are both accurate and reliable in all weather conditions. Sensor features include window contaminatio
October 18, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Going underground with Biral’s RWS-30 weather sensor
Meteorological equipment specialist 8558 Biral has launched the RWS-30 road tunnel weather sensor for accurate and reliable visibility measurements.


The sensor is easily integrated with systems in road and tunnel applications and monitors obstruction to vision caused by fog, smoke and exhaust fumes.

The company says that the forward scatter measurement principle provides a compact design with measurements that are both accurate and reliable in all weather conditions. Sensor features include window contamination monitoring with automatic measurement adjustment to allow maintenance only when needed.

The RWS-30 has a measurement range of 200m - 99.99km - with a resolution of 1m - making it very sensitive for both air quality and fire detection. To ease integration, the sensor has the ability to report EXCO or MOR as a 4-20mA current output as favoured in tunnel systems.

Alternatively, either the serial data output or optional relays can be used.

The measurement of visibility by forward scatter as used by the RWS-30 is now widely accepted and is seen as having significant advantages over more traditional techniques such as the use of backscatter sensors or transmissometers.

Backscatter sensors share the RWS-30's advantage of being compact; however, the backscatter signal is strongly dependent on the type of obstruction to vision. This results in poor accuracy and limited upper range.

More importantly, due to the problem of reflections, backscatter sensors require a large open area in front of the sensor to operate correctly.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Maximising cone crusher efficiency
    September 30, 2013
    Ensuring efficient cone crusher operation can deliver major economies of scale for quarrying facilities There are a number of ways in which cone crusher throughput can be optimised. One of the key issues is in keeping the system choke fed during operation, as this maximises the effectiveness of rock-on-rock crushing, extends the wear life of manganese components and ensures a quality product shape. A lack of feed causes inconstant loading, which affects the long-term life of internal components.
    Read More
  • Traffic management drives sustainability
    June 18, 2012
    New initiatives could boost transport sustainability – David Crawford writes. New roles are opening up for urban traffic management systems in helping city authorities to meet increasingly stringent governmental and supra-governmental air quality standards. European local authorities are typically tasked with both traffic management and pollution monitoring within their areas, making them well placed to draw on the latter to mitigate the impacts of the former.
    Read More
  • VIDEOTEC’s ULISSE camera now comes with a 30x optical zoom lens
    June 9, 2015
    VIDEOTEC’s latest compact outdoor camera, the ULISSE Compact HD PTZ, now comes with a 30x optical zoom lens. It has higher sensitivity, higher gain level, improved WDR, defog function and improved autofocus speed. As such, it offers what the company claims is unrivalled performance even in extreme low light conditions. The unit’s optional IR LED illuminator, ULISSE COMPACT HD provides sharp images of the monitored area at night and is able to detect a figure in the dark up to 200m away. The built-in wipe
    Read More
  • Software mapping takes on hard-to-tackle air pollution problems
    June 15, 2018
    Software mapping of air pollution along transport corridors is an important weapon for improving air quality, argues Arne Berndt*. Although power plants and factories play a large part in increasing air pollution globally, traffic is now the largest single contributor. Commercial vehicles account for a significant share of traffic around the world, with freight volumes projected to grow 40% by 2050. Yet, despite modern vehicles being more environmentally friendly than earlier models, the sheer volume of th
    Read More

Highlighted Content