ROAD WEATHER STATION COMPARISON

SUMMARY / ABSTRACT

Real world evaluation of unique protective properties of the helical radiation shield against one of the best of multi-plate radiation screens in use today for road side applications. The shields with sensors were installed in a roadside weather station for the duration of the 2015/2016 winter season. Winter road maintenance conditions at these locations included:

At the end of the winter season, technicians removed the temperature and humidity sensors their respective solar shields and found that the sensor from the helical solar shield was significantly cleaner that their existing multi-plate shield solution.

RESULTS

After the 2015/16 winter season the devices were disassembled to inspect the state of the sensors placed inside of the protective radiation shields.

Customer reported the following results from the inspection: 

• The helical MeteoShield protected the sensor from the contamination more than their reference setup.
• MeteoTemp temperature and humidity sensor shows minimal signs of dirt buildup.
• Most notable was the lack of dirt buildup on MeteoTemp from the direction of the roadway which is the primary cause of sensor failure and erroneous measurement.
• The reference temperature and humidity sensor placed inside the reference reference screen shows visible signs of dirt buildup and a high concentration of dirt buildup from the direction of the road. 

CONCLUSION

MeteoShield offers superior dirt and water spray protection for sensitive temperature and humidity probes. This extra protection helps extend the accuracy lifetime of sensors and also reduces maintenance costs for the customer.