Instrumentation

Monitoring instruments are typically used to monitor an operating device or its potential environmental effects. For example, extensive environmental monitoring is often required prior to and throughout the operation of any given marine renewable energy device, which typically necessitates the use of a variety of sensors (e.g., active acoustic, passive acoustic, optical) or an integrated instrumentation package. Instrumentation is also used to monitor the performance of a device to ensure it is operating correctly and to determine when maintenance is needed.

Photo: University of Washington Mechanical Engineering Department and the Applied Physics Laboratory