Radar level meter to secure the Panama Canal
November 2000
News
As part of the US$1bn Canal modernisation programme, the Panama Canal Authority, Autoridad del Canal de Panama, decided to equip the locks with reliable level gauges. Several ultrasonic and radar gauges were tested.
Commissioning of the Saab TankRadar Pro gauge – the customer and Dora Espinoza, Doger Technology. The gauges are installed in shafts communicating with the basins
Reliable measuring critical
Every year climatic changes make the use of water in the canal more critical. The locks work with a small hydraulic system thanks to good design. Sloppy tolerances in level on both sides of the lock make the operation inefficient, making reliable and accurate level gauging essential.
47 Saab TankRadar Pro level meters measure the water levels at the 23 locks. The upgrade from mechanical gauges to radar ease the transition to a computer-based control system that will enhance safety in operations and reduce maintenance costs. Dora Espinoza and Roger Flores at Doger Technology have actively convinced the customer to change to a noncontact system and a new display system for the control room.
The lock gates at Miraflores are the tallest in the system because of the extreme tidal variation in the Pacific Ocean
The Panama Canal
The canal is important to world trade because it is a major transit centre for shipments from the Atlantic to the Pacific, saving time for the ship owners. For example, ships sailing from Ecuador to Europe save about 5000 miles by going through the canal. About 35 ships cross daily, paying US$1m in tolls. Since it was opened in 1914, around 700 000 crossings have been made.
The canal includes the Lake Gatún, one of the world's largest artifical lakes. The ships travel a further 27 miles to Corte Culebra, an 8 mile long section, excavated from solid rock. Afterward, they pass through the Cerro de Oro, the highest level of the entire canal, at 580 feet above sea level. The ships then enter the Pedro Miguel locks, where they are lowered 26 feet in one step, to reach the level of Miraflores Lake, which has two sets of locks before reaching the Pacific
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