Sensors & Transducers


Cleaning solutions for optical sensors

January 2026 Sensors & Transducers

Achieving accurate and continuous process visibility requires reliable sensor performance, even in challenging media. Traditional optical sensors often struggle in cloudy, murky or sediment-laden water, resulting in drift, the need for frequent manual cleaning, and potential measurement gaps. As demand grows for high-quality, real-time water and wastewater data, reliable sensor self-maintenance has become essential.

Endress+Hauser’s CYR51 mechanical cleaning unit addresses these challenges by providing stable, automated cleaning of turbidity and UV-Vis absorption sensors. Designed for durability, easy installation and integration into existing systems, the CYR51 helps ensure uninterrupted measurement performance while significantly reducing maintenance effort.

Mechanical cleaning made simple

The CYR51 is a compact, robust cleaning unit equipped with long-life wiper blades and brushes. It is engineered to clean sensors directly in basins, channels or tanks, making it suitable for both new installations and retrofits. When combined with Flexdip CYA112 and CYH112 holders, the system ensures smooth operation with minimal manual intervention.

By automatically removing buildup from the optical window, the CYR51 supports a consistent measurement signal during every cleaning cycle, even in high-load or high-organic environments. For operators, this means fewer site visits, reduced downtime and improved confidence in process data.

Seamless integration and easy installation

The CYR51 unit offers seamless integration with a wide range of sensors, ensuring flexible use across various applications. It integrates with a wide range of turbidity and UV-Vis sensors. Its modular design and easy configuration allow easy installation within existing infrastructure, enabling plants to upgrade sensor cleaning capability without extensive modifications.

High, consistent sensor performance

Routine manual cleaning can be difficult to maintain, especially in remote locations or plants with limited staff. The CYR51’s automated cleaning ensures stable optical performance and helps extend sensor lifetime by protecting the measurement window from persistent fouling.

Retrofit your plant

For clients looking to optimise existing assets, the CYR51 allows straightforward adaptation to installed bases. Endress+Hauser supports the full process, from site evaluation and mechanical installation to commissioning and after-sales service.

Configurable to your process

Depending on process conditions, the system can be combined with additional cleaning methods such as compressed air or chemical rinsing. This flexibility ensures engineers can tailor cleaning intensity to suit specific contamination profiles.

Wide range of applications

The CYR51 extends the operational reliability of optical sensors across a wide range of water and industrial applications. It is engineered to withstand harsh conditions and ensure measurement availability where process visibility is most critical.

Wastewater treatment

In wastewater treatment, reliable optical measurements are crucial for regulatory compliance and efficient plant operation. As discharge limits tighten and skilled labour becomes scarce, automated cleaning becomes essential to reduce manual workload and maintain measurement reliability.

At key locations such as plant inlets, aeration tanks and effluent outlets, Endress+Hauser’s CYR51 helps maintain accurate readings for parameters such as turbidity, nitrate, total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS). During biological treatment, the unit ensures that optical windows remain clear despite fibres, hair and organic deposits that typically clog sensors in pretreated wastewater.

Application: In pretreated wastewater, nitrate and TSS measurements are often compromised by persistent fouling from fibrous materials that obstruct the optical path. This requires a cleaning solution operating reliably between 5° and 40°C that is capable of maintaining clear sensor surfaces to ensure stable, accurate data under challenging process conditions.

Water abstraction and drinking water

In drinking water production, early detection of contamination is essential. Sensors installed in rivers, dams, wells or raw water intakes are exposed to biological fouling, sediment and seasonal organic loads. The CYR51 provides dependable cleaning even in remote or weather-exposed sites where compressed air is unavailable. By reducing manual cleaning and supporting long maintenance intervals, the system improves availability of critical measurement points and aligns with current drinking water regulatory expectations.

Application: For surface and groundwater monitoring, sensors measuring turbidity, colour, nitrate, TOC and SAC must operate reliably at immersion depths of up to 20 metres. These installations frequently contend with algal growth and organic deposition, making robust, automated cleaning essential to maintain measurement accuracy in dynamic natural environments.

Mining, minerals & metals

Tailing dams, settlement basins and radial thickeners rely on turbidity and solids measurement to optimise water recovery and comply with environmental requirements. These installations are often isolated, making low-maintenance sensor solutions essential. The CYR51 is built to handle abrasive media, variable solids loads and extreme outdoor conditions. By ensuring clear optical windows in tailing and process water, it supports sustainable water management in mining operations.

Application: Turbidity and TSS measurements must remain reliable in the face of abrasive media, fluctuating solids loads and temperatures from 5° to 55°C. Sensors are frequently exposed to heavy buildup under harsh operating conditions, making robust mechanical cleaning indispensable. The CYR51 meets these demands with a brushless servo motor for long-life performance, EU-approved materials, integrated cable-strain protection, optional brushes or wipers and Class I Division 2 hazardous area certification.

In all these applications, Endress+Hauser supports you in designing an optimal cleaning solution. Whether your process requires mechanical, chemical or compressed air cleaning, the CYR51 delivers a tailored solution to meet your specific cleaning demands. The system is compatible with the full Endress+Hauser range of turbidity and UV-Vis absorption sensors, ensuring flexible deployment across diverse process environments.


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