NEWS VA IS A L A

Improved Measurement Accuracy of Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 / Page 4

Simplifying Compliance and Efficiency in Warehouse Monitoring / Page 8

New Light in Lightning Detection for Power Industries / 7

NEWS

VAISA

LA

185/2011

Vaisala in Brief

Vaisala is a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement. Building on more than 70 years of experience, Vaisala contributes to a better quality of life by providing a comprehensive range of innovative observation and measurement products and services for meteorology, weather critical operations and controlled environments. Headquartered in Finland, Vaisala employs over 1,400 professionals worldwide and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchange.

185/2011

Cover photo: Vaisala Oyj / Editor-in-Chief: Sanna Nyström

Publisher: Vaisala Oyj, P.O. Box 26, FI-00421 Helsinki, FINLAND

Phone (int.): + 358 9 894 91 / Telefax: + 358 9 8949 2227

Internet: www.vaisala.com / Layout: Sampo Korkeila

Printed in Finland by: SP-Paino / ISSN 1238-2388

Contents 3 Doing Best What Matters Most

4 Improved Measurement Accuracy of Vaisala Radiosonde RS92

8 Simplifying Compliance and Effi ciency in Warehouse Monitoring

10 Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited Strengthens Weather Watch

13 Updates to Vaisala AviMet®

14 Moisture Management in Power Transformers

17 New Light in Lightning Detection for Power Industries

20 Old Cooling Methods Benefi t from Using New Technology

22 Vaisala Wind Profi lers in the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute’s Remote Sensing Network

24 Network of Automatic Weather Stations for Macchu Picchu

26 Briefl y Noted

Lightning data and other relevant weather information enable intel-ligent decision-making for wind farm operators and other power companies. Page 17

Medical and surgical goods suppli-er upgraded its monitoring capabil-ity with Vaisala Veriteq Continuous Monitoring System. Page 8

Developments on the Vaisala Sounding System improve meas-urement accuracy and introduce an interface for fl ying third party atmospheric in-situ instruments. Page 4

2 185/2011

President’s Column

“I am now receiving much more direct technical conversation and input than I did before.” “I do not find it easy to get answers about the expected date for installation.” “We have been using Vaisala’s products for about six months. The service has been excel-lent and the equipment has worked flawlessly.” “We have had some issues with delivery schedules, late deliver-ies and some deliveries missing, which we have not had before.”

These are direct quotes from our customers, given as open comments in connection with Vaisala’s annual Customer Satisfaction Survey. Before I say anything more, I want to extend my warmest thanks to everyone who took the time to contribute – your feedback is truly appreciated. Customer focus is one of our core values, and we value the opportunity to hear your thoughts.

All in all, this year’s results showed that our customers are fairly content with Vaisala in general. Product reli-ability, quality and functionality as well as the expertise of our techni-cal staff, for example, received good feedback. As product reliability and quality were identified as improve-ment priorities last year, I’m very happy to see that we are moving in the right direction.

However, there are issues that were pinpointed as development areas last year, but still received critical feedback, such as delivery times, speed of response to technical queries, and understanding customers’ needs. I want you to know that we take the feedback seriously and are doing our best to find ways to improve our performance. For example, we have invested a lot of time and effort lately to address the

delivery capability issues we’ve had this year, and the measures taken have already improved the situation a great deal in terms of both delivery capability and response time.

The survey results are currently under deeper analysis, and action plans will be developed to improve our offering and service based on the input we’ve received. As our ambition is to deliver outstanding value to our customers, we won’t rest until one day everyone agrees with the following comment from this year’s results: “Keep doing what you are doing! Your entire staff ROCKS!”

Thank you,

Doing Best What Matters Most

185/2011 3

Improved Measurement Accuracy of Vaisala Radiosonde RS92Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 measure-ment accuracy has been further improved by introducing new algo-rithms for humidity and tempera-ture calculation. The changes were presented briefly in Vaisala News 184/2010 in an article titled “WMO Intercomparison of Radiosonde systems in China”.

All improvements have been implemented in the software version 3.64 for Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding Systems MW31 and MW21. As the changes affect the ground system only, the RS92 radiosonde itself remains unchanged.

The new algorithms were devel-oped utilizing Vaisala’s vast base of experience and knowledge about the physical basis of the measurements, accumulated over decades of devel-oping and manufacturing the sensors used in radiosondes in-house. The

latest improvements were based on that knowledge as well as a large amount of test data from comparison flights in several locations represent-ing various atmospheric and climatic conditions.

Brief Description of Changes

Humidity measurement accuracy was improved by introducing new solar radiation and response time algo-rithms. The solar radiation algorithm improves measurement accuracy in daytime conditions while having no effect on nighttime soundings.

Humidity sensor response time algorithm makes it possible to recover humidity profile details also at very low temperatures. This algorithm affects both daytime and nighttime soundings. Humidity mea-

surement improvements have the biggest impact in middle and upper troposphere region.

A more accurate temperature measurement was obtained by finetuning the solar radiation cor-rection. The algorithm now takes into account radiosonde ventilation during the flight.

Humidity Measurement Algorithms

Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 humidity sensor has been specifically devel-oped for performing radiosoundings. Although the sensor is very fast in its class, there is still room to improve the measurement results by algo-rithmic means at the temperatures prevailing in the upper troposphere and higher. The very good calibration stability of the sensor and its high

Hannu Jauhiainen / R&D Manager / Vaisala / Helsinki, FinlandMarkus Turunen / Senior Scientist / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland

Jon Währn / R&D Manager / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland

New algorithms introduced for humidity and temperature calculation

4 185/2011

sensitivity to atmospheric profile changes makes this type of correc-tion feasible.

Sensor response time is depen-dent on ambient temperature, being the greatest at the cold temperatures below the tropopause. This is why humidity profiles tend to appear somewhat smoothed in that region.

To rectify this effect, new algo-rithm was developed to achieve more correct profiles when the temperature is below -40 ºC. In sound-ing profiles this can be seen as an increased span between minimum and maximum relative humidity levels and as a steeper change to low humidity at the tropopause.

Humidity measurement was also improved to take into account the effect of solar radiation on the sensor during a sounding. This effect has the most significant impact at altitudes of approximately ten to fifteen kilome-ters depending on the humidity profile and the tropopause height. A new solar radiation algorithm was devel-oped to improve daytime humidity measurement accuracy. The modifica-tion has no effect on the mesurement results of nighttime soundings.

Figures 1 and 2 present examples of a daytime sounding profile from tropical conditions. The profile VAI_NEW is calculated with the new solar radiation and response time algorithms. The greatest difference compared to the old calculation is at the heights of 10-15 km (30-45 min). In figure 1, the effect of time response algorithm is especially evident at around 40 minutes. In the sounding profile from higher latitudes in figure 3, the differencies are less pronounced.

Figure 4 presents the direct dif-ferences of 20 flights calculated with the new and old humidity algorithms. The soundings were performed in tropical conditions. The new algo-rithms have the biggest impact at the 14 km level. Similar differences can be detected in soundings carried out at higher latitudes, but with lower values due to the lower position of the tropopause (see fig. 5).

Figure 1. Example profile from the tropics. With new algorithms = blue, without = grey.

Figure 2. Example profile from the tropics. With new algorithms = blue, without = grey.

Figure 3. Example profiles from high latitudes. With new algorithm = blue, without = grey.

185/2011 5

Figure 4. Direct differences humidity com-parison result between new and old calcula-tion. Statistics of daytime flights in tropical conditions, 20 flights.

Blue = relative humidity with solar radia-tion and response time algorithms. 0 %RH reference line = relative humidity without new algorithms.

Figure 5. Comparison result between new and old calculation. Statistics of day time flights in high latitude conditions, 50 flights. Blue = relative humidity with solar radia-tion and response time algorithms. 0 %RH reference line = relative humidity without new algorithms.

Figure 6. Sounding against Cryogenic frostpoint hygrometer (CFH), LUAMI campaign, Lindenberg, Germany 10-12/2008. Orange line = CFH, grey = old RS92 calculation, blue = new (3.64) RS92 calculation.

Figure 7. Twin sounding differences with standard deviations using new algorithms, high latitude conditions.

6 185/2011

Vaisala Sounding System with Third-Party Atmospheric In-Situ Instruments

In addition to temperature, humid-ity, pressure and wind profiles, other in-situ measurements in the atmosphere also provide valuable information for researchers and the climatological community. The Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding System and the Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 can be used to fly third-party atmo-spheric in-situ research instruments and transfer the data for further analysis, together with the radio-sonde information on height, wind, ambient temperature and humidity conditions. The ground equipment transfers the data in a readable ASCII format, as a .txt file.

The Vaisala Radiosonde RS92-SGP has a synchronous serial interface that reads data from an in-situ instru-ment so that it can be transferred in digital format.

The dedicated user interface of the Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding System software version 3.64 allows for setting up and following the in-situ

instruments. More detailed techni-cal information including message protocol necessary to build a suitable interface is available per request.

Vaisala encourages all in-situ measuring device manufacturers to build interfaces to the Vaisala RS92. Even though a public interface

serving a variety of needs was deemed the most viable option for Vaisala, we are always open to discussion on finding ways to meet our customers’ measurement needs. Please feel free to contact your sales representative or go to www.vaisala.com for contacts.

Comparison Against CFH Frost Point Mirror Hygrometer Reference

In figure 6, the data with the new humidity algorithm is compared against a Cryogenic frost point mirror hygrometer (CFH). As a result a very good agreement between the instru-ments can be detected.

Humidity Measurement Reproducibility

To evaluate the new algorithms’ effect on soundings reproducibility, a series of twenty five twin-sonde flights was performed. The test veri-fies the agreement between similar radiosondes when the measurement is performed in the same atmo-

spheric conditions. The result is presented in figure 7. Reproducibility is very good, below 2 % and well in line with the previous measurements.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the new improved algorithms, while measuring atmospheric humid-ity details more accurately, do not introduce undesirable deviations into the measurement results.

Changes in Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding System Software Version 3.64

The improved algorithms for temper-ature and humidity measurements are integrated into the version 3.64 of the Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding System software.

The new algorithms improve Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 measurement accuracy successfully for both opera-tional and climatological observation needs. For climatological data conti-nuity purposes, good understanding of the instrument and changes in the data products are essential. This applies also to operational sound-ings, but is especially important to observations gathered within the WMO/GRUAN GCOS Reference Upper Air Network

Therefore, all changes and further developments described here are documented in detail on the Data Continuity website Vaisala estab-lished a year ago to ensure observa-tion data remains comparable and representative of the actual real-life phenomena.

Documentation describing all changes in Vaisala Sounding Systems is updated on the Data Continuity pages at www.vaisala.com.

185/2011 7

Ken Appel / Manager, Regulated Markets / Vaisala / Vancouver, BC, Canada

Simplifying Compliance and Effi ciency in Warehouse MonitoringMedical and surgical

goods supplier Owens

& Minor, Inc. upgraded

its enterprise-wide

monitoring capability

with Vaisala Veriteq

Continuous Monitoring

System.

Owens & Minor’s warehouse environmental monitoring system requires accuracy and reliability — the company provides consumable medical and surgical goods such as disposable gloves, dressings, endo-scopic products, needles and syringes, sterile procedure trays, surgical prod-ucts and gowns, and wound-closure products to the U.S. medical market. It monitors, documents, and reports data on its warehouses, refrigerators, and specialty rooms in compliance with regulatory requirements of state boards of pharmacy and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Not only are quality control and regulatory compliance critical,

but with its 50 distribution centers across the U.S., the company needed a monitoring system that could provide remote site management to improve operational effi ciency and simplify the process enterprise-wide.

Upgrade Goals

A climate-controlled environment is required to maintain effi cacy and to meet regulatory guidelines for many medical products and devices. Prior to upgrading their monitoring capabil-ity, Owens & Minor used data loggers at each site to measure and record temperatures. Individuals in each distribution center would manually

viewLinc automates record keeping, making documentation and reporting easier, but it’s also easy to use with secure access from any PC on the network. Customized reports and alarms can be sent by email to a user’s PC, cellphone, or pager.

8 185/2011

download the data for review and archive purposes. Owens & Minor rec-ognized the inefficiency of this process and chose to look for a better solution.

“We wanted a monitoring system that would eliminate the manual steps in generating reports, send immedi-ate notification if conditions were heading out of tolerance, and provide an easily accessible way to monitor real-time trends in critical areas,” said Bob Peck, Director of Regulatory Compliance for Owens & Minor.

The company had several require-ments to meet its goals. First was to standardize the monitoring system for temperature and humidity across all warehouses. Second was to adopt an enterprise-wide solution that would enable multiple users at differ-ent locations to manage their areas, report, and receive alarm notifica-tions remotely. Third was to connect sensors to the continuous monitoring system via a combination of wireless and hard-wired Ethernet connections.

Ease of Integration a High Priority

Owens & Minor evaluated four suppliers as part of their monitor-ing system bid process. The review process led to selection of the Vaisala Veriteq Continuous Monitoring System using the unique viewLinc software.

“We selected the Vaisala System because the viewLinc software uses a standard Internet browser-based soft-ware and integrated with our existing WiFi, 802.11 network,” said Peck. “We also liked how the Company paid attention to detail in matching their solution to our needs,” he added.

Fully Compliant and Easy to Use

The Vaisala Veriteq Continuous Monitoring System provides gap-free records for controlled environments where high-valued products must be protected and their storage condi-tions fully documented. viewLinc combines data protection and long-

term accuracy, ensuring that users meet their most stringent compliance and inspection requirements.

viewLinc automates record keeping, making documentation and reporting easier, including reporting software compliant with FDA 21 CFR part 11 for documentation, historical data, and graphing/reporting and full system IQ/OQ validation.

“Our Continuous Monitoring System automates record keeping for document archiving and other regulatory requirements, but it’s also easy to use with secure access from any PC on the network,” said Jon Aldous, Vaisala Product Manager. “It’s flexible with customized reports and alarms sent by email to a user’s PC, cellphone, or pager,” he added. System administrators can assign permissions for viewing data, setting thresholds, and acknowledging alarms to pertinent personnel.

viewLinc offers Automated Data Archiving with triple redundancy for total data protection so that no single point of failure — including network or power outage — will result in lost data.

Enterprise-wide Implementation

“Initially, we installed the system at one location to gauge its capabili-ties before deploying nationwide,” said Peck. “The system worked great and now monitors temperature and relative humidity from 423 sensors located within our warehouses, refrigerators, and specialty rooms.”

Using viewLinc, managers at each Owens & Minor site can view critical areas of interest in real time, as well as receive alarm notification via PC, phone or pager. Alarm messages can be sent to different people based upon their areas of responsibility and ability to respond; for example, QA/QC personnel receive communica-tions alarms and distribution center personnel receive out-of-limit alarms.

Further information:www.vaisala.com/en/lifesciencehightech

Owens & MinorOwens & Minor, Inc. is a leading U.S. distributor of name-brand medical and surgi-cal supplies and a healthcare supply-chain management company. It serves hospitals, integrated healthcare systems, alternate site locations, group purchasing organizations, and the federal government from its more than 50 distribution centers throughout the United States. Founded in 1882, it is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

The diverse product and service offering of Owens & Minor includes consumable goods such as disposable gloves, dressings, endoscopic products, needles and syringes, sterile procedure trays, surgi-cal products and gowns, and urological and wound-closure products. Owens & Minor provides technology and con-sulting programs that improve inventory management and streamline logistics across the entire medical supply chain—from product origin to patient bedside.

185/2011 9

Tony Quayle / Project Director / Meteorological Service of New Zealand / Wellington, New ZealandRobert Ireland / Regional Manager, APAC / Vaisala / Melbourne, Australia

Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited Strengthens Weather WatchNew Zealand’s National Meteorological Service

selects Vaisala to install fi rst dual polarization

weather radars in the country.

On the evening of 1 June 2010, tor-rential rainfall caused fl ash-fl ooding in Whakatane, a city in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. While this was well managed by local agencies, the event highlighted the challenge that New Zealand’s highly variable weather poses to its residents, businesses and tourists.

For MetService, New Zealand’s National Meteorological Service, the country’s rugged topography and geographical isolation make weather forecasting a diffi cult task. As part of an initiative to provide warnings of localized, short-term severe weather, MetService commenced a fi ve-year,

$12 million program of upgrades and expansion to its weather radar network in 2007.

Valuable Information for Severe Weather Forecasting

By emitting pulses of microwaves and measuring the return, weather radars sense the location and intensity – and in some cases, the velocity – of precipitation echoes. This information is highly valuable for weather forecasting, particularly when severe weather is either possi-

ble or occurring. Weather radar data is also used by road maintenance and aviation authorities, for example, to ensure safe road and air traffi c.

MetService invited leading weather radar suppliers to partici-pate in a competitive tender process for the weather radar expansion project. Two factors tilted the balance in Vaisala’s favor.

Firstly, MetService already used weather radar systems provided by Sigmet Inc., a weather radar signal processor company that was acquired by Vaisala in 2006. Vaisala’s strong expertise in weather radars turned out to be the second crucial factor. The MetService considered

intensity – and in some cases,

forecasting, particularly when severe weather is either possi-

10 185/2011

185/2011 11

Vaisala an innovative company with high quality weather equipment, and saw great benefits in choosing weather radars that would seam-lessly integrate with their existing data processing systems.

Developed in collaboration with leading universities in the United States and Finland, Vaisala’s weather radars are designed to meet the most demanding requirements. Further-more, the offered dual polarization capability provides more detailed information on precipitation, distin-guishing between variations in pre-cipitation type and providing more accurate rainfall estimates.

More Detailed Information, More Accurate Warnings

The first Vaisala Weather Radar WRM200, the new dual polarization C-band magnetron Doppler weather radar, was installed in October 2009 on Mahia Peninsula, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. This filled a significant gap in MetSer-vice’s radar network.

The Mahia radar has a range of 300 kilometers, enabling it to monitor weather systems over the Pacific Ocean immediately to the east of the North Island, as well as over its eastern and central parts.

MetService radar meteorologist John Crouch says the dual polariza-tion capability of the new radars has provided forecasters with a lot more information about weather systems, particularly discrimination between liquid and frozen precipitation within clouds, raindrop size, and super-cooled water droplets that can cause aircraft icing problems, leading to better and more accurate warnings.

Operational Reliability Above Expectations

In 2010, a second Vaisala WRM200 was installed at Mamaku in the Bay of Plenty. Together with the Mahia radar, this has enabled MetService to extend its Severe Thunderstorm

Warning Service to most of Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Bay of Plenty, Taupo and Rotorua. All in all, the dual polar-ization radars have proven valuable in enhancing data availability and quality.

New Zealand’s rugged terrain makes servicing the equipment a dif-ficult task, which means that the reli-ability of the equipment is extremely important. The Vaisala WRM200 provides real-time remote motoring and fault diagnostic capabilities, which has reduced the need for site visits thereby lowering maintenance costs. What’s more, the Mahia and Mamaku radars have performed nearly without a fault since their installation.

Happy with their experiences with Vaisala, MetService has strengthened the co-operation and signed an agree-ment for weather radar installation in Westland in 2011 and another in Northland in 2012. These are now in the planning stage with one to be located in the far north of the North Island and the other the west coast of the South Island.

Further information:www.vaisala.com/en/meteorology/products/weatherradars

Optimized Dual Polarization Performance

Vaisala’s weather radar product family consists of a complete offering of Doppler C-band weather radars, signal and radar control processing tech-nology, and related software and services. The heart of the product family is the dual polarization capability, for which the whole line was originally developed. All hardware and software have been optimized to work as an integrated system to provide the best possible data quality.

Dual polarization technology ensures more detailed information on precipitation, distinguishing between variations in precipitation type and providing more accurate rainfall estimates.

12 185/2011

/ date / name / ©Vaisala

Background luminance

ICAO compliant AviMet® AWOS

Wind sensor

Visibility sensor

Visibility sensor

Visibility sensor

Wind sensor

PRECISION APPROACH

PRECISION APPROACH

Pressure sensor

Temperature sensor

Humidity sensor

Precipitation sensor

Lightning sensor

Cloud height sensor

Present weather sensor

Cloud height sensor

Weather radar

INDOOR EQUIPMENT

Page 1 / date / name / ©Vaisala

Background luminance

ICAO compliant AviMet® AWOS

Wind sensor

Visibility sensor

Visibility sensor

Visibility sensor

Wind sensor

PRECISION APPROACH

PRECISION APPROACH

Pressure sensor

Temperature sensor

Humidity sensor

Precipitation sensor

Lightning sensor

Cloud height sensor

Present weather sensor

Cloud height sensor

Weather radar

INDOOR EQUIPMENT

Vaisala serves airports of all shapes and sizes – from regional facilities to large international airports – by providing a capability to observe, forecast and integrate weather to support operational decision making. The Vaisala AviMet® airport weather systems are designed to always conform to the standards and recom-mendations defi ned by the Interna-tional Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which means that the systems are constantly under development to ensure compli-ance to changing requirements.

The latest modifi cations, released during the fall in the AviMet® soft-ware version 6.0, were designed according to the updated ICAO requirements and recommendations on meteorological data processing and reporting practices. The new requirements were specifi ed in the 17th edition of the “Meteorological Service for International Air Naviga-

tion (Annex 3), and they became effective in November.

The main changes made to the functionalities of the AviMet® software are related to METAR/SPECI and local reports. In addition, some general improvements were introduced. The changes affect the Vaisala AviMet® Automated Weather Observing System AW55 (AWOS) and the Vaisala AviMet® Runway Visual Range System AW51 (RVR).

Total Aviation Weather Management Solution

The updated software platform is the heart of the Vaisala AviMet® total aviation weather management solution. Designed to bridge the gap between weather information and the airport’s operative processes, Vaisala AviMet® systems provide continuous, real-time information on weather and its impact on aviation and airport operations to improve safety and

traffi c fl ows in all weather conditions as well as to reduce an airport’s envi-ronmental impacts.

The Vaisala AviMet® comprises of the technology platform, related services, and a range of end-user applications, such as automated weather observing, runway visual range, and low level wind shear alert systems. All meteorological data generated can be integrated into air traffi c control systems, airport-wide service and maintenance systems, and other meteorological systems the airport might have.

All Vaisala AviMet® systems are specifi cally designed to utilize latest sensor and computer technology available, which means that they ensure superior accuracy and per-formance in the measurement and reporting of any weather data needed in aviation.

Further information:www.vaisala.com/en/airports

Sanna Nyström / Editor-in-Chief / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland

Updates to Vaisala AviMet®

Vaisala’s aviation weather

management systems

modifi ed to comply

with the latest ICAO

requirements

An ICAO compliant Vaisala AviMet® AWOS. The system typically consists of fi eld sen-sors, central data unit(s), communications interfaces and different workstation types.

185/2011 13

James B. Shimwell / Director of Operations / TRANSEC UK Ltd. / Dorking, Surrey, UKSenja Paasimaa / Regional Market Manager / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland

Moisture Management in Power Transformers

Moisture management is one of the greatest challenges today in the

maintenance of oil insulated high voltage transformers. TRANSEC UK

Ltd. provides first-rate on-line moisture management for oil-filled power

transformers – with a little help from Vaisala’s online moisture and

temperature monitoring.

Generator, transmission and distribu-tion transformers are some of the most critical and expensive assets in a power network. They are very reli-able and require very little mainte-nance in general since they have no continuously moving parts. However, the insulating materials degrade with time, and ultimately determine the end of the transformer’s life.

Excessive moisture will accumulate in the transformer’s insulation, where more than 95 percent of water is retained, thus increasing conduc-tivity and accelerating ageing. As higher levels of moisture satura-tion are reached, it is possible that on a sudden temperature fall, e.g. from load shedding, free moisture can develop, increasing the risk of

internal ‘tracking’ and eventually, short-circuit.

TRANSEC Units – Technology for Transformer Moisture Management

TRANSEC UK Ltd. is a UK-based company whose business is

14 185/2011

moisture management of power transformers, primarily for power generator and transmission grid companies and power utilities. Founded in 2004, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the well established UK company Bowden Bros Ltd., which has been manufac-turing instruments for high voltage networks since 1930.

The company’s offering consists of on-line transformer drying units – the TRANSEC Units – and related services such as cylinder exchange service, full installation, and com-missioning. Their main market areas are Asia, Middle-East and Europe; 80 percent of production is exported.

The main application is moisture management of oil filled power transformers in service. However, it is becoming obvious that new power transformers can also greatly benefit from factory-fitted Units, when the target is to maintain the transform-er’s insulation dryness at the factory level, thus improving its service life.

On-line Molecular Sieve to Dry Out Power Transformers

A TRANSEC Unit is an on-line zeolite molecular sieve. It continuously removes water from the oil, which

also acts as the transfer medium to extract water from the paper insulation in a power transformer. When retro-installed on an existing transformer, the on-line unit reduces the moisture level of insulation and maintains the reduced level there-after.

The process not only reduces the rate of ageing, but will improve the dielectric strength of the insulation and increase reliability, especially against external effects, e.g. through faults, by maintaining the strength of the solid insulation.

The idea of a molecular sieve using zeolite as a drying medium is well known since the 1960’s. However, only recently – with synthetic beads – it has become pos-sible to control the pore size closely enough during manufacturing to allow for the adsorption character-istics that a modern molecular sieve requires, while at the same time not invalidating historical DGA (Dis-solved Gas Analysis) data.

The TRANSEC Units, equipped with an oil circulation pump and in-line particulate filters, consist of either one or three series-connected cylinders. Each cylinder contains a one meter high ‘bed length’ column of synthetic zeolite. The units can be installed, commissioned, maintained

and their active material replaced off site without the transformer to which they are connected requiring to be off-load, which is a great cost benefit for asset operators.

The three cylinder unit has the capacity to remove up to 10 liters of water from a transformer, before it becomes saturated. Depending on the transformer’s moisture level, the operating time of a TRANSEC Unit before saturation varies from one to several years. After satura-tion, the cylinder(s) can easily be changed. Each cylinder has a serial number, and its ‘as supplied’ weight is recorded on a database. A direct comparison after saturation shows the quantity of water adsorbed by the cylinder, making it possible to manage the moisture removal process.

Units also have sampling points for the site operator to take an oil sample for further analysis in a laboratory.

A TRANSEC Unit consists of one or three series-connected cylinders. Each on-line transformer drying unit continuously removes water from oil in generator, trans-mission and distribution transformers.

185/2011 15

Continuous Moisture Monitoring with Vaisala MMT162

The TRANSEC Units are available with moisture and temperature monitoring in both inlet and outlet oil pipes. When the input and output ppm levels of a Unit con-verge, the grid company or power utility knows that the molecular sieve material is saturated and the cylinders need to be changed. To minimize environmental impacts, TRANSEC cylinders are recyclable and the company offers a replace-ment program.

Vaisala’s moisture and tempera-ture transmitters for oil can be used to monitor the saturation level of a dryer online and in real-time. Vaisala has worked with TRANSEC UK Ltd. and previously Bowden Bros Ltd. since 2000.

Earlier TRANSEC Units offered the Vaisala HMP228 Moisture and Temperature Transmitter for Oil for moisture monitoring. Since Vaisala introduced the Vaisala HUMICAP® Moisture and Temperature Transmit-ter for Oil MMT162 – the develop-ment of which utilized TRANSEC UK Ltd.’s earlier request on features as well – it became obvious that it was a more suitable solution for this par-ticular application, both technically and cost-wise.

The compact sized MMT162 is easy to install to a T-piece of oil piping in a TRANSEC Unit. Power supply and signal wiring can be con-nected by using standard cabling, and retrofitting of older Units is also straightforward with standard connections. The MMT162 offers moisture and temperature measure-ment with two simultaneous output options: analog and digital RS485.

Reliable and stable measurement is crucial since the measurement is not just a means to monitor moisture in oil, but also a measure for the performance of the moisture man-agement system. Due to the nature of the main application area of the TRANSEC Units, i.e. high voltage and extra high voltage compounds, having someone go frequently onsite to calibrate the sensors is not a

viable option, which means being able to trust the sensors to work is essential.

Customer in Focus

TRANSEC UK Ltd. has placed strong focus on assisting their customers to manage the moisture issues of their power transformers. TRANSEC Units equipped with the Vaisala MMT162 moisture monitoring not only show the readings on a local display, but can also send the on-line measurement signal to customers’ own data collection system at their sub-stations.

Also, calculations to define the moisture of solid insulation based on measured oil moisture level and temperature can be done. When the units are equipped with monitoring, they offer the user indication on cylinder saturation, thus optimizing the use of the Unit. TRANSEC UK Ltd. continues to improve their offering and follows closely new trends and knowledge in the HV industry to serve their customers also in the future.

Further information:www.vaisala.com/en/products/moistureinoil

“The biggest challenge in our business is to convince

users and operators of the value of on-line drying

systems as a preventative measure. As with insurance, it

is only when you do not have it that you realize its value.

With an installed capital cost of probably less than

0.5 percent of the total cost of a medium power trans-

mission transformer and with a very small on-going

operating cost, the likelihood of doubling the service

life of the transformer ought to be attractive, even to the

Company Accountant!” – James B. Shimwell, TRANSEC UK Ltd.

The TRANSEC Units are available with moisture and temperature monitoring in both inlet and outlet oil pipes. The reliable and stable measurement provided by the Vaisala MMT162 is not just a means to monitor moisture in oil, but also a measure for the performance of the moisture man-agement system.

The compact sized MMT162 is easy to in-stall to a T-piece of oil piping in a TRANSEC Unit.

16 185/2011

Nikki Hembury / Product Manager / Vaisala / Tucson, AZ, USA

New Light in Lightning Detection for Power Industries

Whether you’re

planning a wind farm

and assessing turbine

risks or operating an

existing one, business-

critical weather data at

your disposal enables

intelligent decision-

making.

As tall objects in a field, wind turbines make ideal targets for lightning strikes. Even more so as the application continues to grow as a serious source of new electricity generation: the total wind power capacity now operating in the US is over 35,600 MW, which corresponds to the power usage of 9.7 million homes, according to the Ameri-can Wind Energy Association.

185/2011 17

As in any trade, system downtime and repairs must be minimized. This is where information about critical weather parameters becomes an important part of decision-making. Wind, temperature, icing, lightning – relevant weather data can prove to be a vital asset for wind farm opera-tors and other power companies alike.

Ignoring these parameters can be a costly exercise. For example, the US National Lightning Safety Institute states that at one southwestern US wind farm lightning damage alone exceeded $50,000 in the fi rst year of operation, and at another 85 percent of the downtime experienced was lightning-related.

Lightning Data – Detect, Locate, Validate

Wind turbines are designed with grounding systems to isolate the lightning current from sensitive elec-

tronic and mechanical components to ensure safety. Industry standards require wind turbines to withstand 98 percent of natural lightning strikes. Unfortunately, no lightning protection system is completely effective, so Vaisala lightning data is used by turbine manufacturers to validate that damage was truly caused by lightning before replac-ing blades under the terms of the warranty.

Vaisala’s STRIKEnet® internet service allows turbine manufactur-ers and wind farm owners to enter the geo-coordinates of the damaged turbine and search an extensive archive of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes for up to a 72 hour time window, generating an automated report of the lightning strikes in the vicinity. Depending on the terms of the agreement, turbine manufactur-ers or wind farm insurers will be responsible for repairing the damage.

Lightning is also a challenge to traditional energy and power indus-tries. High-current lightning strikes are a signifi cant threat to the depend-ability of electric power transmis-

sion, because they can cause severe damage to power lines. Being able to detect and locate these events means savings in both time and money as the fault locations can be found more quickly, and electricity can be re-routed to a different path.

Recent fi ndings in Japan show an encouraging future trend in lightning detection for power companies, and demonstrate the value of accurate and timely weather data in decision-making.

Signifi cant R&D Achievements in Japan

Lightning Locating Systems provide valuable information to a wide variety of applications. The demand for both data quality and the range of Cloud-to-Ground lightning parameters is highest for forensic applications within the electric utility industry. For years, the research and operational communities within this industry in Japan have pointed out a limitation of these systems in the detection and location of damag-ing (high-current and large charge

Vaisala Thunderstorm CG Enhanced Light-ning Sensor LS7001.

1,675 strokes (green) and 594 cloud pulses (black) located by the six sensor LS network in Tohoku region during the evaluation period.

18 185/2011

transfer) lightning flashes during the winter months. Most of these flashes appear to be upward-connecting discharges, frequently referred to as “Ground-to-Cloud” flashes.*

In Japan, lightning events along the coast of the Sea of Japan during the winter months emit particularly different waveforms than the major-ity of other lightning events, which makes them hard to detect or classify properly. To address this problem, Vaisala has worked together with Tohoku Electric Power Company and Sankosha Corporation to develop improved lightning sensor software.

Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. supplies electricity to approximately 7.7 million customers throughout the seven prefectures of the Tohoku region. The company’s electric power sales amount to over 81,101 kWh, ranking it fifth among the ten Japa-nese electric power companies.

Sankosha Corporation has been supplying Vaisala lightning detec-tion systems to the electric power companies in Japan for more that 25 years. Sankosha engineers install and maintain about 100 lightning sensors operating in Japan. They work closely with Vaisala engineers and scientists to make sure that networks in Japan are operating properly and network operators take advantage

of new technologies as they become available.

The result of the joint R&D effort is the Vaisala Thunderstorm CG Enhanced Lightning Sensor LS7001, which delivers double the detection accuracy of high peak current winter lightning discharges compared to older sensors. The new sensor is able to continuously sample and process detected signals eliminating the dead time problems of previous sensor generations. Enhanced self-test and calibration capabilities permit the simulation of more complex wave-forms and help achieve a significant improvement in stroke time measure-ments.

Improved Detection Performance for Energy and Power Industries

As a part of the cooperative research project, a six sensor network of the new sensors was deployed in the Tohoku region during the 2009/2010 winter lightning season. Data from Lightning Electromagnetic Pulse (LEMP) recording equipment oper-ated by Tohoku Electric Power Company and information from lightning related failures in Tohoku’s transmission line systems demon-strated significant improvements in lightning detection performance. This was achieved by studying elec-tromagnetic waveforms generated by winter lightning and then developing new parameters for their detection.

“Lightning detection information is extremely important in the opera-tion and maintenance of our electric power transmission and distribu-tion systems. Improvement in our ability to detect high current winter lightning events is a critical step forward,” says Mr. Noriyasu Honma from Tohoku’s Electricity Technology Section.

The project in Japan will con-tinue through the 2010/2011 winter lightning season. The algorithm updates employed in the reprocess-ing will be implemented in sensor software, which will be download-able into most existing Vaisala LS sensors, making improved detection performance available for energy and power industries around the world.

References:

*Improved Detection of Winter Lightning in the Tohoku Region of Japan using Vaisala’s LS700x Technology. Cummins, K.L., Pifer, A.E., Pezze, M., Rogers, T., Honma, N., and Tatsumi, M.

American Wind Energy Association, www.awea.org/

National Lightning Safety Institute, www.lightningsafety.com/

Reissue of an article that appeared in the December 2010 issue of Wind Systems Magazine.

Precise Weather Knowledge for Wind Power Generation

Wind turbine manufacturers and wind farm operators require high quality environmental measurement systems to maximize performance, support safe operations, and fulfill industry standards. Intelligent environmental measurements can be used in e.g. control systems, improving community acceptance of wind farms by dimming obstruction lights in clear weather, and getting field service teams to safe ground before thunderstorms arrive. Turnkey atmospheric observation networks can provide that significant advantage to save millions of dollars – combining wind speed predictions with other business-critical environmental data.

Vaisala lightning sensor in Tohoku, Japan.

185/2011 19

Yani Bettencourt / Market Manager, Americas / Vaisala / Boston, MA, USA

Old Cooling Methods Benefi t from Using New TechnologyCooling tower control systems depend on accurate and reliable humidity measurement to increase energy effi ciency and reduce maintenance costs.

the refrigerant – in chillers of HVAC systems. During this refrigerant-to-water heat exchange, the refrigerant temperature decreases and the con-denser water temperature increases. The heated condenser water is then circulated to the cooling tower, where it is sprayed or splashed onto complex ventilated surfaces, maxi-mizing evaporation that removes heat from the water. The cooled condenser water is then returned to the chiller to continue the cycle.

Wet-bulb Temperature Sets Cooling Limit

How much the condenser water can be cooled is limited by tower design, tower quantity, operating equipment including fans and pumps, and by environmental factors – it can be cooled only as low as outdoor wet-bulb temperature, a function of RH and temperature.

In a perfectly effi cient cooling tower, the water leaving the tower is as cold as the wet-bulb temperature. Since no tower is perfectly effi cient, tower designers consider its limita-tions to determine the approach – the approach is the practical difference between the possible and realistic tem-peratures of water leaving the tower.

Cooling towers are among the oldest and most effective methods of removing heat from a building. Unfortunately, tradition can lead operators to use familiar but unreli-able devices that result in inaccurate relative humidity (RH) measurements that compromise tower effi ciency. Adopting advanced technology for accurate and reliable RH and tem-

perature measurements is essential for lowering energy use and mainte-nance costs.

Purpose is to Remove Heat

In HVAC applications, evaporative cooling towers remove heat from the condenser water – water used to cool

20 185/2011

The approach is added to the wet-bulb temperature to determine the actual condenser water setpoint. For example, 21°C (70°F) wet-bulb temperature with 4°C (7°F) approach results in an actual setpoint of 25°C (77°F) for condenser water dis-charged from the tower.

“Wet-bulb temperature measure-ment is similar to a temperature gauge in your car. It tells you how hard you can run the engine,” says Tim Wilcox of WPI, a U.S.-based con-sulting firm specializing in energy effi-ciency on a broad range of projects.

“Its information is also used like the speed governor to avoid over-running the equipment. Inaccurate measurement in either case can do great harm,” he adds.

Sources of Error

Inaccurate RH sensors are a common source of erroneous wet-bulb temper-atures, misleading control systems and operators. Another source of error is locating the RH sensor too close to the cooling tower, where it is affected by discharge air. Since the wet-bulb measurement must be true measurement of the outdoor ambient air, the RH device needs to be located away from any discharge air.

“If the control systems are receiv-ing a wet-bulb reading much cooler than possible, the operating engi-neers or the controls will attempt to drive down the condenser water tem-peratures by engaging more pumps, fans and tower cells. The hardware can’t achieve the bogus tempera-ture but the false information will waste energy and risk fouling – if not harming – the cooling towers. A

second-rate RH device will lead to an impossible condition,” Wilcox says.

Costs of Overrunning

Excessive operation leads to several areas of avoidable operational and capital costs: wasting energy to run the fans more than needed, prema-ture equipment repair, acceleration of mineral build up in the tower fill, and inefficient water use from adding more water to the sump to replace the evaporated water.

In one case that Wilcox cites, investigations concluded that inac-curate readings from an on-site RH device contributed to a cooling tower at a landmark hotel being so exces-sively run that the tower fill became nearly rock solid with calcium car-bonate deposits.

Uneven air flow rising through the plugged fill caused the tower system to be on the verge of shaking apart, damaging the fans and fan shrouds. Operators used fire hoses to keep the chiller plant operating at the height of the summer tourist season. Avoidable capital costs added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace the tower fill.

Vaisala Recommended

“Humidity measurements need to be accurate and maintainable. We specify Vaisala humidity sensors that we can count on not to migrate into error. We avoid recommend-ing instruments that can go out of calibration in six months, misinform-ing the control systems and building operators,” says Wilcox.

“We see projects that can spend $200,000 a year on cooling tower-related operating costs operated by a $50 sensor that goes unreliable in months. Life is too short to deal with error-prone devices.”

The Vaisala Humicap® HMT330 Series Humidity and Temperature Transmitter delivers high accuracy and excellent long-term stability, even in harsh outdoor conditions. RH accuracy is within 1% up to 90% RH and within 1.7% up to 100% RH. Temperature accuracy is within 0.2°C (0.36°F). The transmitters calculate wet-bulb temperature and can be field calibrated to meet the opera-tor’s quality management protocol.

Accuracy Leads to Free Cooling

Wilcox recently reviewed cooling tower performance at an undisclosed data center in Utah. One of the rec-ommended upgrades was to replace their RH device with the more accu-rate Vaisala instrument.

Now using accurate RH in the wet-bulb temperature measurement, the facility could reduce energy costs by using more free cooling. Free cooling can be used when the outdoor wet-bulb temperature plus the approach is lower than the requirement for primary chilled water. Under these conditions, the condenser water cools the primary chilled water, bypassing the chiller entirely. Free cooling reduces mechanical cooling costs, is more energy efficient, and is recognized as a green energy effort.

With accurate wet-bulb tempera-ture measurements, the data center was able to convert to free cooling for more than half the year and still meet its cooling requirements.

New Ways are Better

The value of accurate RH measure-ments is increasing as more cooling tower builders, operators, and HVAC professionals learn – still too often the hard way – that more reliable sensors using advanced technology can pay for themselves many times over.

Vaisala HMT330 series transmitters deliver high accuracy and excellent long-term sta-bility. RH accuracy is within 1% up to 90% RH and within 1.7% up to 100% RH. Tem-perature accuracy is within 0.2°C (0.36°F).

185/2011 21

Pavla Skrivankova / Head of Remote Sensing Section / Czech Hydrometeorological Institute / Prague, Czech Republic

Vaisala Wind Profilers in the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute’s Remote Sensing NetworkVaisala’s lower atmosphere wind profilers

complement Czech Hydrometeorological

Institute’s ground-based integrated wind profiling

system.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) operates a Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding System MW31 at Praha-Libus radiosonde station and two C-band Doppler Weather Radars at Skalky and Brdy–Praha hills. Radiosondes are launched four times a day, and they serve as the

main source of upper-air wind and temperature data. Doppler radial velocity data from the weather radar measurements is also used to calcu-late the vertical profile of horizontal wind.

However, there was a lack of additional continuous, real-time

atmospheric wind and temperature vertical profiles for the needs of nowcasting and environmental appli-cations. Therefore CHMI decided to build up a ground based integrated wind profiling system and ordered four lower atmosphere wind profil-ers with Radio Acoustic Sounding Systems (RASS) from Vaisala.

Continuous Data with High Vertical and Temporal Resolution

The first Vaisala Wind Profiler LAP®-3000 was installed at CHMI’s Temelin Observatory in autumn 2007. The next three were purchased under a project called 3MP - Moderniza-tion of Measurement, Modelling and Prediction system of the Czech Republic flood forecast service, and taken successively into operation at CHMI’s Cheb meteorological station, Doksany Observatory and Kucharov-ice meteorological station during the year 2010.

Vaisala LAP®-3000 is a Doppler beam swinging wind profiler. Together with the Radio Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) it measures

Vaisala Wind Profiler LAP®-3000 (with RASS) installation at the Cheb meteorologi-cal station

22 185/2011

vertical profiles of wind direction and wind speed from near the surface up to 3 kilometers above ground level and virtual temperature profiles up to 1.5 kilometers. The system operates unattended and provides continuous data with high vertical and temporal resolution.

Alternating Low and High Sampling Modes

The CHMI’s wind profilers operate at 1,290 MHz frequency, alternat-ing sampling modes every minute between a low and a high mode. The low mode samples the lower atmo-sphere up to 1.5 kilometers above ground level and the high mode extends to a maximum height of 3 kilometers.

The wind profiler control and data acquisition software is used to define the configuration of sampling

parameters, signal processing and quality control algorithms. In addi-tion, Vaisala Wind Profiler Meteoro-logical Display Software GraphXM™ allows for the easy display of wind and temperature data obtained from the profilers, including wind barb, wind vector, vertical profile, and colour contour displays.

From Forecasting to Aviation to Air Quality Protection

The data provided by the wind profil-ers is together with weather radar and radiosonde data implemented into JSWVPView, a radar data pro-cessing and visualization software package developed by CHMI. The software enables CHMI to compare wind profiles generated by radio-sondes, weather radars and wind profilers. The JSWVPView is used

not only by CHMI Central Forecast-ing Office and Aviation Meteorology Section, but it is also a useful source of meteorological information for its Air Quality Protection Division.

The CHMI is going to use the wind profiler data gathered from the Czech Republic in many meteoro-logical applications. There is, for example, a plan to assimilate the LAP®-3000 wind and temperature profiles into the ALADIN numerical forecast model and to utilize them for environmental studies. In addi-tion, the CHMI intends to integrate its four lower atmosphere wind profilers into the Co-ordinated Wind Profiler Network in Europe (CWINDE).

Further information:www.vaisala.com/en/meteorology/products/windprofilers

Locations of CHMI’s wind profiling systems

Sample of wind profiles from Praha-Libus radiosonde, Brdy-Praha weather radar and Temelin wind profiler measurements displayed by CHMI’s JSWVPView software

Sample of wind and temperature profiles from the LAP®-3000 located at the Kucha-rovice station, displayed by the Vaisala GraphXM™ software

Vaisala Wind Profiler LAP®-3000 (with RASS) installation at the Doksany Observa-tory

185/2011 23

Peru’s national

weather service is

installing a network

of automatic weather

stations to protect

one of the New Seven

Wonders of the World

from extreme weather

events.

Macchu Picchu is an Inca citadel located 70 miles northwest of the city of Cusco in Peru. Built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire, the complex set of housing buildings, ter-races, and temples was constructed in classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.

Interestingly enough, Macchu Picchu was never known to the Spanish during their conquest of the Inca Empire, and it is highly significant as a relatively intact cul-tural site. It was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, it was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll. Today, the site is visited by more than 2,000 tourists every day who wonder through its many structures.

There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps – often com-pletely carved from a single block of granite – and numerous water foun-tains. These were interconnected by channels and water-drains perforated

Manuel A. Ojeda / President / Morcom International, Inc. / Chantilly, VA, USA

Network of Automatic Weather Stations for Macchu Picchu

The Vaisala MAWS301 automatic weather stations are equipped to measure wind speed and direction, solar radiation, tem-perature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and precipitation. Data is sent to both local authorities and SENAMHI’s Lima headquar-ters.

24 185/2011

in the rock that were designed for the original irrigation system. Evidence suggests that the irrigation system was used to carry water from a holy spring to each of the houses in turn.

Danger: Mudslides and Forest Fires

Every summer in Peru (the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere winter) the country experiences a rainy season in the south. When the rainfall is intense enough, the Andes region is hit by a series of mudslides that destroy houses, and block rail-ways and highways.

These phenomena, called “Alu-viones” or “Huaicos” in Peru, occur periodically when water is released abruptly from a previously ice-dammed lake alongside, within, or above a glacier. The Macchu Picchu area is often affected by these events which disrupt transportation to and from the historical site.

On the opposite end of the spectra, during the dry season, vegetation and brush get very dry and become very flammable. Therefore, lightning or any small man-made fire left unattended by tourists or locals can grow and become a significant forest fire.

In 2008, Machu Picchu was threat-ened by a huge forest fire, which was eventually put out. This incident left more than eight hundred hectares of forest burned in the valley situated between Cusco city and the Machu Picchu fortress, and required more than 600 firefighters to control and eventually put it out.

Weather Stations to the Rescue

Concerned about these threats, authorities in Peru led by SENAMHI (Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia e Hidrologia del Perú, the country’s National Weather Service) have pur-chased a network of twelve Vaisala HydroMet™ System MAWS301 automatic weather stations in differ-ent configurations. The systems are equipped to measure wind speed and

direction, solar radiation, tempera-ture, humidity, atmospheric pres-sure, and precipitation. Some of them are fitted with water level radar type sensors as well.

“This project is particularly important for SENAMHI, because it will not only increase the number of hydromet observation stations, but the information generated will allow us to increase the quantity and quality of the products and services for the Machu Picchu Sanctuary as well as for most part of the Vilcanota-Urubamba basin,” says Mayor General FAP (r) Wilar Gamarra Molina, Execu-tive President of SENAMHI.

“The objective of the project is to increase the preservation and protec-tion systems in the Machu Picchu Sanc-tuary from the high vulnerability due to extreme weather and climate events. The resulting products will range from short and medium term forecasts, early warning alerts and notices to climate predictions and studies.”

Real-Time Data to the Benefit of Wide Range of Users

The Vaisala automatic weather stations network reports data both to the local Cusco authorities via

a GPRS modem and to SENAMHI’s headquarters in Lima via the Geosta-tionary Operational Environmental Satellite Data Collection System (GOES DCS) operated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Availability of this data in real time and the ability to spot trends and spikes on certain param-eter values is helping the Peruvian authorities take preventive measures and safeguard the population of settlements near Macchu Picchu, visitors, and the site itself when conditions are such that an early intervention is prudent.

“The benefits will cover a wide range of users in the society, including civil defense authorities, agriculture, transportation, water management, energy and many others including the general public that include local citizens and tour-ists,” General Gamarra explains.

“SENAMHI is currently working with the Regional Governments to establish regional early warning alert systems to enhance public safety and support sustainable development.”

Further information:www.vaisala.com/en/products/automaticweatherstations

185/2011 25

Comprehensive Weather Observation Systems to Oman Airports

Vaisala will supply weather observa-tion systems to six airports in the Sultanate of Oman. The contract, valued over nine million euros, was awarded to Vaisala in the beginning of December, and the deliveries will take place between 2011 and 2014.

The weather observation systems will be part of the extensive upgrade projects on two international and four regional airports in the Sultan-ate of Oman. Vaisala’s systems will offer accurate and consistent online

weather information to various user groups at the airports where real-time weather information is crucial to ensure safety and effi ciency.

“We are naturally very pleased about this deal which continues our good track record in the Middle-East. Vaisala’s aviation weather systems are used in all major international airports in the area such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and New Doha airport in Qatar. Oman’s international airports, Muscat and Salalah, will complement

this list perfectly,” says Kai Konola, Executive Vice President, Weather Critical Operations.

The systems to be delivered com-prise of automated weather observ-ing systems, sounding systems, wind profi lers and lightning detection systems. All systems will be an inte-grated part of the airports’ air traffi c management networks supplied by Indra Sistemas S.A.

Vaisala Moisture in Oil Transmitter Approved for Installation in MAN Diesel & Turbo EnginesVaisala HUMICAP® Moisture and Temperature Transmitter Series for Oil MMT330 has been approved for installation in MAN Diesel & Turbo’s engines. The MMT330 are installed in the lubricating oil system of MAN B&W two-stroke diesel engines.

MAN Diesel & Turbo is a global market leader for large diesel engines used in ships. They have introduced on-line condition-based water-in-oil monitoring to their MAN B&W marine two-stroke diesel engines to protect the critical components from the damages water contamination in

the lubrication oil can cause. Before approving the MMT330, MAN Diesel & Turbo conducted extensive testing to identify a suitable water-in-oil sensor and to verify the selected sensor’s measurement accuracy in actual engine installations.

26 185/2011

Briefl y noted Briefl y noted Briefl y noted Briefl y noted

New Transmitter for Energy Management Systems in Buildings Vaisala has developed a new cost-effi cient and dependable solution for humidity and temperature measure-ment in heating and ventilation systems. The two- and three-wire Vaisala INTERCAP® Humidity and Temperature Transmitter Series HMW80 are designed to combine excellent stability with easy installa-tion and reliable operation.

Installing a HMW80 transmit-ter couldn’t be easier – mount and wire it, snap the housing closed to

cover the electronics, and you’re ready to go. The HMW80 humidity transmitters use an interchange-able capacitive humidity sensor, which is insensitive to dust and most chemicals. The transmitters require no recalibration if the sensor is changed, which means great savings in overall maintenance costs.

Further information:www.vaisala.com/HMW80

Carbon Disclosure Project Measured Vaisala’s Greenhouse Gas EmissionsLong term risks and fi nancial uncertainty relating to the effects of climate change are increasing, and the international fi nancial community is recognizing the need for transpar-ency in their risk assessments. To generate much needed knowledge on the effects of climate change on businesses, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP – www.cdproject.net) collects greenhouse gas emissions data and risk assessments from com-panies to form an extensive database for investors.

The CDP is an independent not-for-profi t organization, backed up by a group of 534 institutional investors with assets of over USD 60 trillion. It holds the largest database of cor-porate climate change information in the world with thousands of orga-nizations measuring and disclosing

their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategies through the CDP.

Vaisala was invited to respond to the CDP for the fi rst time in 2010, and gladly accepted the opportunity.

“We felt it was important for us to demonstrate transparency and insight into the risks and opportuni-ties climate change introduces to our company. We used a mix of direct and indirect emissions equivalents in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to calculate our emis-sions for 2009, and concluded that our approximate carbon footprint was roughly 10,000 tons of CO2-e or carbon dioxide equivalents”, says Vaisala’s Corporate Responsibility Specialist Tomi Rintanen.

Vaisala’s response was high-lighted in CDP’s fi nal report for

having set clear targets for emissions reductions. Action plan for the head offi ce in Helsinki, Finland is in place to improve energy effi ciency by nine percent from a 2005 baseline by 2016.

185/2011 27


Vaisala Lightning Detection System to Electricity Transmission Network in RussiaVaisala provides a lightning detection system to an electricity transmission network in the Rostov Oblast area in southern Russia to help minimize power outages caused by lightning strikes. The project is part of a large electricity transmission moderniza-tion program for the Russian national grid.

The system helps identify lightning-induced transmission line faults as they happen, which means that repair crews can be dispatched immediately to restore service. It also provides an improved under-standing of where lightning may occur, making it possible to pre-position the repair crews to minimize outage time further.

The system comprises four Vaisala LS8000 Thunderstorm Total

Lightning Sensors with related hard-ware and software. It has the capabil-ity to detect more than 90 percent of all lightning strikes. It uses VHF (very high frequency) technology to detect and map the small pulses emitted by cloud lightning events, and renowned LF (low frequency) technology to locate cloud-to-ground strokes within 250 meters.

The detection network will be operational by the end of March 2011. The fi rst system will be deliv-ered as a pilot project to evaluate how effective total lightning detec-tion is for Russia’s transmission system reliability and operations support. Expected benefi ts are sig-nifi cant, as lightning causes some 50 percent of the power outages in the Rostov Oblast area.

New Humidity and Temperature Transmitters for CleanroomsVaisala introduces new transmit-ters for humidity and temperature monitoring in cleanrooms and demanding HVAC applications. The Vaisala HUMICAP® Humidity and Temperature Transmitters HMT120 and HMT130 are designed to deliver accurate and reliable long term measurement data, which is the key to high quality processes and end products in life science and micro-electronics industries.

The transmitters’ smooth enclo-sure fi nish is easy to keep clean and the material is resistant to cleaning chemicals used in Life Sciences. Fur-thermore, the product concept offers

fl exibility for easy installation on the cleanroom wall with integrated probe for room monitoring or with a remote probe assembly for remote installation in the ceilings, chambers or air ducts.

They are also ideal to be used in conjunction with Vaisala Veriteq Continuous Monitoring System, for moni-toring humidity and temperature in controlled and critical envi-ronments.

Further information:www.vaisala.com/HMT120

28 185/2011


Vaisala HM40 – New Generation of Portable Humidity and Temperature Measurements Vaisala ushers in a new era in hand-held humidity and temperature mea-surements with the introduction of Vaisala HUMICAP® Hand-Held Humid-ity and Temperature Meter HM40. Compact, robust and easy to use, the HM40 is an ideal spot-checking tool for various portable humidity measurement needs from construc-tion sites and HVAC applications to laboratories and cleanrooms.

The HM40 features a user-friendly large graphic display, easy-to-use push buttons and a multilingual user interface with 10 different languages, which is simple and intuitive to use. A graph is provided to indicate when

the measurement has stabilized, and an interchangeable measurement probe makes recalibration as easy as can be – all that is needed is to plug in a fresly calibrated probe.

In addition to measuring relative humidity and temperature, the HM40 displays additional calculated humid-ity quantities for dewpoint tempera-ture, wet bulb temperature, absolute humidity, mixing ratio, and enthalpy – all available in both metric and non-metric units.

Further information:www.vaisala.com/HM40

Highway Advisory Radio System to IdahoVaisala has been selected to provide a Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system to the State of Idaho Transpor-tation Department ITS Division in the United States. The statewide system will be delivered as a turnkey project, and construction will start in April.

The project will include deploy-ing 25 AM transmitters and 58 static advisory signs advising motorists to listen to the AM transmission at key locations along Idaho highways. The entire system will be controlled by operators at the ITD Traffi c Manage-ment Center in Boise.

When implemented, the system will improve ITD’s ability to inform motorists of roadway problems particularly in the event of Idaho’s changing weather. HAR stations are often more useful than overhead message signs, because they can provide longer and more detailed instructions to the driver. Typical HAR messages include road condi-tions, chain control information, traffi c conditions, construction infor-mation, and child abductions.

185/2011 29


Vaisala’s Oxygen Measurement Business to SICK Maihak GmbHSICK Maihak GmbH, a leading manufacturer of sensors and sensor systems for industrial process automation applications, acquired Vaisala’s oxygen measurement tech-nology and business in September.

“The sale strengthens our strat-egy to focus on the chosen market

segments of life science and high technology, building automation and targeted industrial applications. We are pleased that we found such a respectable buyer as SICK, who is committed to serve customers and invest in the technology and prod-ucts further,” stated Kenneth Forss,

Executive Vice President, Controlled Environment.

The transfer of technology and know-how started immediately. Pro-duction is planned to be moved to Germany at the beginning of 2011.

Jan Hörhammer Retires After 42 Years with VaisalaMr Jan Hörhammer, Vaisala’s Director for Customer Relations, retired in December after 42 years of service in the company. During his long career with Vaisala, Hörhammer has been involved in countless activities both within the company and in the meterological community at large. His limitless interest in and devotion to his work has earned him a widely respected position in the fi eld of meteorological monitoring.

Hörhammer started working for Vaisala in 1968 as a customer training and installations engineer, and has since then built an impressive career in various division management and sales and marketing positions. He was also a long-time member of the Vaisala Management Group.

As one of the most memorable experiences he cites four expatriate years in Japan in the early 1980’s, spent setting up Vaisala’s Japanese operations. He was also one of the key individuals involved in establish-ing the Association of Hydro-Meteo-rological Equipment Industry (HMEI) in 2001.

But whatever position he held, cus-tomers always came fi rst. Hörham-mer says that fi nding a way to help no matter what problem a customer might have had was a matter of honor to him.

“Technological development over the years has of course changed the way the business is conducted. What has not changed though is the impor-tance of having a good relationship with the customer. Having trust both between Vaisala and the customer and between the persons represent-ing the companies is the cornerstone of the business”, Hörhammer states.

“Thus, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and send my warmest regards to all customers, scientists and colleagues that I have had the privilege to meet and collab-orate with over the years. Weather is an interesting subject which brings people together, like a family. Being able to contribute in this fi eld has been an honor for me – thank you”.

30 185/2011


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please contact the Vaisala News team

by sending an email to

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Sanna NyströmEditor-in-Chief

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EuropeVaisala OyjP.O. Box 26 FI-00421 HelsinkiFINLAND

Vaisala OyjMalmö Office Drottninggatan 1 D S-212 11 MalmöSWEDEN

Vaisala OyjStockholm Office Johanneslundsvägen 2, 1trS-194 61 Upplands VäsbySWEDEN

Vaisala GmbHBonn Office Adenauerallee 15D-53111 BonnGERMANY

Vaisala GmbHHamburg Office Schnackenburgallee 41D-22525 HamburgGERMANY

Vaisala GmbHUhingen Office Bahnhofstr. 373066 UhingenGERMANY

Vaisala LtdBirmingham Operations Vaisala House349 Bristol RoadBirmingham B5 7SWUNITED KINGDOM

Vaisala LtdNewmarket Office Unit 9, Swan Lane, ExningNewmarket, Suffolk CB8 7FNUNITED KINGDOM

Vaisala SAS Marseille Office2, rue de BeaussetF-13001 MarseilleFRANCE

Vaisala SASParis Office 2, rue StéphensonF-78181 Saint-Quentin-en-YvelinesFRANCE

North AmericaVaisala Inc.Boston Office 10-D Gill StreetWoburn, MA 01801USA

Vaisala Inc. Boulder Operations 194 South Taylor AvenueLouisville, CO, 80027USA

Vaisala Inc. Columbus Office4249 Diplomacy DriveColumbus, OH 43228USA

Vaisala Inc.Durham Office2880 Slater Road, Suite 200Morrisville, NC 27560USA

Vaisala Inc.Houston Office 1120 NASA Road, Suite 220-EHouston, TX 77058USA

Vaisala Inc.Minneapolis Operations 6300 34th Avenue SouthMinneapolis, MN 55450USA

Vaisala Inc. San Jose Office 6980 Santa Teresa Blvd., Suite 203San Jose, CA 95119-1393USA

Vaisala Inc.St. Louis Office1862 Craig Park Court St. Louis, MO 63146USA

Vaisala Inc.Tucson Operations2705 East Medina RoadTucson, AZ 85756USA

Vaisala Inc.Westford Office 7A Lyberty WayWestford, MA 01886USA

Vaisala Canada Inc. 100-13775 Commerce ParkwayRichmond, BC V6V 2V4CANADA

Asia and PacificVaisala KKTokyo Office 42 Kagurazaka 6-ChomeShinjuku-Ku Tokyo 162-0825JAPAN

Vaisala China LtdBeijing Office Floor 2, EAS BuildingNo. 21, Xiao Yun RoadDongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang DistrictBeijing 100027PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Vaisala Shanghai6F 780 Cailun LuPudong New Area201203 ShanghaiPEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Vaisala China LtdShenzhen Branch 1-17B, China Phoenix BuildingShenNan Avenue, Futian District Shenzhen 518026PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Vaisala Pty LtdMelbourne Office 3 Guest StreetHawthorn, VIC 3122AUSTRALIA

Vaisala OyjRegional Office Malaysia Level 9, West BlockWisma Selangor Dredging142-C Jalan Ampang50450 Kuala LumpurMALAYSIA

Vaisala Oyj Liaison office in India Block E - 7/8, 2nd floor Vasant Vihar New Delhi 110057 INDIA

Middle EastVaisala OyjRegional Office United Arab Emirates Khalifa Al Naboodah Building, 1st Floor Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

www.vaisala.com

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