Antifouling System Extends Instrument Deployment By Up To Six Weeks

Cost reduction has become a primary focus for nearly every public and private research institution. The environmental monitoring industry has not been immune to the cost-cutting efforts and seeks innovative ways to help field monitoring professionals gain efficiency. This has led to the development of new technologies that extend deployment duration and minimize costly maintenance procedures, while delivering a high level of data quality.

The TROLL® Shield Antifouling System, developed by In-Situ® Inc., was designed to inhibit biofouling of environmental monitoring instruments. An In-Situ Aqua TROLL® 200 Instrument outfitted with the TROLL Shield copper guard and nose cone was tested against a control instrument. The test compared conductivity performance and visual biofouling deposits from instruments deployed in a high-fouling environment.

The TROLL Shield technology reduced the impacts of fouling on conductivity readings by more than 50 percent over the control Aqua TROLL 200 Instrument and extended maintenance intervals by six weeks beyond the control instrument.