Product Overview
The Dynasonics IS-6000 is Badger Meter’s submerged-Doppler open-channel flow meter for partially-filled pipes and open channels — a single low-profile sensor measures fluid velocity by pulse coherent Doppler and water level directly, and the transmitter computes flow as velocity × wetted area with no weir or flume required. Velocity reads to ±16.5 ft/s (±5.0 m/s) with integrated level over 1.6–51 in. (0.04–1.3 m) — expandable with an external level sensor — at a typical flow accuracy of ±2% of reading. It profiles velocity across up to 32 cells, measures bidirectional flow through surcharge and reverse-flow conditions, logs about a year of time-stamped data to a 16 GB micro SD card, and reports over Modbus RTU / TCP with WiFi web-browser setup. It is the Dynasonics choice for wastewater influent and effluent, raw sewage, and stormwater channels that have no primary device or that surcharge.
Key Features & Benefits
- No weir or flume to build — because one in-stream sensor reads both the flow speed and the water depth, there is no primary device to construct, maintain or recalibrate — it drops into an existing channel or partially-filled pipe
- Reads surcharge and reverse flow — pulse-coherent Doppler with direct level gives true bidirectional area-velocity flow, so it keeps reading when the line surcharges or backs up — conditions a level-only weir / flume meter cannot follow
- Velocity profiled, not single-point — the sensor measures velocity across up to 32 cells to build a flow profile, which is more accurate than a single-point reading and removes the seasonal-flow recalibration a primary device needs
- Set up from a phone or laptop — connect to the built-in WiFi (or the Ethernet LAN port) and configure through a standard web browser — no app or software to install, with built-in access security
- Logs locally, reports to the network — a 16 GB micro SD card keeps roughly a year of time-stamped data on board, while Modbus RTU / TCP carries it to SCADA
- Built for a wet, dirty pit — the IP 68 stainless / PEEK sensor and the rugged IP 66 aluminum transmitter are made for long service in harsh wastewater environments
Specifications
- Measurement method
- Submerged area-velocity — flow = velocity × wetted cross-sectional area. A low-profile submerged sensor measures velocity by pulse coherent Doppler and water level directly, so the meter reads flow in a partially-filled pipe or open channel with no primary device.
- Primary devices
- None required — the submerged sensor measures velocity and level in place, so there is no weir or flume to build, maintain, or recalibrate for seasonal flows
- Sensor
- Integrated area-velocity sensor — a pulse-coherent Doppler velocity beam plus an ultrasonic-travel-time level beam, with temperature measurement, in one stainless-steel / PEEK body (7.1 × 1.6 × 0.9 in. / 180 × 40 × 22 mm), IP 68; the velocity is profiled across up to 32 cells for a more accurate reading. Where sediment buildup is a concern, the sensor mounts up the wall and a separate level sensor reads the water height.
- Level / measurement range
- Velocity to ±16.5 ft/s (±5.0 m/s), minimum detectable velocity ±0.13 ft/s (±0.04 m/s); integrated water level 1.6–51 in. (0.04–1.3 m), expandable with an external 4–20 mA level sensor; medium ≥ 50 ppm suspended solids
- Accuracy
- Flow typically ±2% of reading. Velocity ±2% of reading from 5.0–16.5 ft/s and ±0.1 ft/s below 5.0 ft/s; integrated water level ±2.6 in. (±0.065 m)
- Flow computation
- Computed from velocity × wetted area for the configured channel shape — round / radius, U-shape, rectangular, trapezoid, egg-shape or custom; bidirectional flow rate and total
- Outputs
- Four 4–20 mA active channels, four relays (60V DC 1A or 30V AC 1A) and two pulse / frequency outputs; four 4–20 mA inputs (one reserved for level) and two digital inputs for connected sensors
- Data logging
- On-board data logging with time / date stamp to a 16 GB micro SD card — about 12 months of storage; files transfer through the web browser
- Communication options
- Modbus RTU (RS-485) and Modbus TCP Ethernet (10/100 Mbps RJ45); setup and log upload over the built-in WiFi or Ethernet web server — no app to install
- Enclosure / rating
- Rugged aluminum wall-mount transmitter, IP 66, with a 4-line × 20-character display and 4-key keypad; for indoor or environmental-enclosure use; operating −4–140°F (−20–60°C). CE standard; Optional cCSAus general-area (indoor) certification
- Power
- Universal input: 100–240V AC (±10%, 47–63 Hz) or 10–36V DC (±15%)
Common Applications
- Wastewater treatment plant influent, in-plant and effluent flow
- Raw sewage and combined / sanitary sewer collection where the line can surcharge
- Stormwater and partially-filled outfall pipes with no flume or weir
- Industrial process and discharge monitoring
- Aqueduct and open-channel conveyance measurement
Area-velocity is the pick when the channel has no primary device or surcharges; if the site already has a flume or weir and stays open to atmosphere, the non-contact IS-4000 reads level from above with nothing in the stream to foul. Use the input form to tell us the channel and the flow conditions and we’ll confirm the right open-channel method.
Design & Selection Considerations
- Match the method to the fluid — transit-time vs Doppler — transit-time meters time an ultrasonic pulse sent with and against the flow, so they want a clean to lightly-laden liquid that passes sound (the TFX-5000 clamp-on and E-Series G2 inline). A Doppler meter (the DFX) does the opposite — it needs suspended solids or aeration to reflect the signal, which is what makes it the pick for sewage, slurries and aerated fluids. Use the input form to tell us how clean the fluid is and the right principle follows; the wrong one simply will not read.
- Clamp-on or inline — non-invasive vs best low-flow accuracy — a clamp-on meter straps transducers to the outside of the pipe — no cut-in, no pressure drop, no wetted parts, and it installs on a live line (the TFX-5000 / TFX-500w, and the portable DXN-5P). An inline spool (E-Series G2) is a permanent wetted body that holds the tightest low-flow accuracy and carries potable-water approval. Retrofit and survey work favour clamp-on; a permanent metered point with tight accuracy favours inline.
- Clamp-on needs a sound-friendly pipe — a clamp-on meter sends sound through the wall, so it wants a solid, sonically-conductive pipe of known material and wall thickness — metal and most plastics read well; heavy mortar lining, fibreglass, gas pockets, or badly corroded / scaled wall scatter the signal. Use the input form to give us the pipe material, OD and wall and we confirm suitability and transducer choice. The pipe is part of the meter on a clamp-on install — spec it as carefully as the fluid.
- Give the meter a developed flow profile — ultrasonic meters tolerate less straight run than a turbine, but a swirling or distorted profile off elbows, pumps and valves still biases the reading. Allow the recommended upstream / downstream straight run, or mount on the longest available run. More straight run, steadier reading — design the location, do not just clamp where it is convenient.
- Specify potable / hygienic approval where it is required — for drinking-water service the body must be lead-free and certified — the inline E-Series G2 carries a lead-free bronze body to NSF/ANSI 61 & 372. Say up front that the line is potable and we specify an approved body, not a general-purpose one. Approval is a build choice, not a field add-on.
- For heating / cooling energy, pair flow with a matched RTD pair — thermal energy is flow × the supply-return temperature difference, so an energy meter needs a matched temperature-sensor pair as well as flow. The UHC-120 integrates ultrasonic flow with the RTD pair to EN 1434, and the FC-215 computes energy from an external flow signal and RTD pair. For BTU / tenant billing, the matched sensor pair and the standard matter as much as the flow reading.
- Open channel: non-contact level or submerged area-velocity — in an open channel, flow is derived from level over a known primary device, or from velocity × area. The IS-4000 reads level non-contact over a flume or weir — nothing in the stream to foul; the IS-6000 submerges an area-velocity Doppler sensor where there is no primary device or the channel surcharges. A flume / weir site suits non-contact level; a surcharging or primary-less channel suits area-velocity.
To size & select the right Dynasonics IS-6000:
Use the input form to send the channel or partially-filled-pipe shape and size, the water-level and velocity range you expect, the medium and its suspended-solids content, and whether the line surcharges or runs full — with the sensor cable run to the transmitter and the outputs and protocol you need — and we’ll spec the right IS-6000 sensor, cable length and outputs for your channel.
Flow Meter Application Sheet ›Talk to an engineer directly — Scott Prater, Principal · 917-580-0878 · scott@pratertechnical.com
Specifications compiled by Prater Technical Partners from Badger Meter Dynasonics ultrasonic flow product literature.