The HFP01SC, manufactured by Hukseflux, measures soil heat flux—typically for energy-balance or Bowen-ratio flux systems. It is intended for applications requiring the highest possible degree of measurement accuracy. The HFP01SC outputs a voltage signal that is proportional to the heat flux of the surrounding medium. At least two sensors are required for each site to provide spatial averaging. Sites with heterogeneous media may require additional sensors.
Read MoreThe HFP01SC consists of a thermopile and a film heater. The thermopile measures temperature gradients across the plate. During the in-situ field calibration, the film heater is used to generate a heat flux through the plate. The amount of power used to generate the calibration heat flux is measured by the datalogger. Each plate is individually calibrated, at the factory, to output flux.
Self-calibration corrects for errors due to differences in thermal conductivity between the sensor and surrounding medium, temperature variations, and slight sensor instabilities.
Note: In an energy-balance installation, all sensors must be completely inserted into the soil face before the hole is backfilled.
Sensor Type | Thermopile with film heater |
Sensitivity | 50 μV W-1 m-2 (nominal) |
Nominal Resistance | 2 Ω |
Temperature Range | -30° to +70°C |
Expected Accuracy | ±3% of reading |
Heater Resistance | 100 Ω (nominal) |
Heater Voltage Input | 9 to 15 Vdc |
Heater Voltage Output | 0 to 2 Vdc |
Duration of Calibration | ±3 minutes @ 1.5 W (typically performed every 3 to 6 hours) |
Average Power Consumption | 0.02 to 0.04 W |
Plate Diameter | 80 mm (3.15 in.) |
Plate Thickness | 5 mm (0.20 in.) |
Weight | 200 g (7.05 oz) without cable |
CR1000X program that measures the HFP01SC, performs the self-calibration, and checks for calibration validity. Refer to the manual for the equations used for the self-calibration and calibration-validity checks. A table in the manual provides a cross reference of the terms in the equations in the manual with the constants and variables in the example data logger program.
Number of FAQs related to HFP01SC-L: 12
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The in-situ calibration is helpful for quality assurance/quality control. The multiplier determined from the in-situ calibration should be within ±10% of the factory-determined calibration. If it is not, the plate may be damaged, not wired correctly to the datalogger, or not making full contact with the soil.
No. The HFP01SC-L must be in full contact with the media. Railroad ballast is too coarse.
The example CRBasic program runs in either SequentialMode or PipeLineMode. To force the CRBasic program to run in PipeLineMode, add the instruction PipeLineMode to the beginning of the program.
Rather than using a running average to find the millivolt output during a calibration, use a single sample with 50 or 60 Hz integration. See Example 1 in the 2014 or later version of the HFP01SC-L manual.
A calibration shift occurs if the HFP01SC-L is not making full contact with the soil during the calibration cycle. The following could cause the plate to lose contact with the soil: a soil freeze/thaw cycle, soil swelling/contracting because of extreme drying/wetting cycles, or rodents burrowing past the plate.
Add the appropriate code to the datalogger program using a program example from the HFP01SC-L manual. Alternatively, contact an application engineer at Campbell Scientific for assistance.
The information included on a calibration sheet differs with each sensor. For some sensors, the sheet contains coefficients necessary to program a datalogger. For other sensors, the calibration sheet is a pass/fail report.
This depends on the information contained in the calibration sheet:
Most Campbell Scientific sensors are available as an –L, which indicates a user-specified cable length. If a sensor is listed as an –LX model (where “X” is some other character), that sensor’s cable has a user-specified length, but it terminates with a specific connector for a unique system:
If a sensor does not have an –L or other –LX designation after the main model number, the sensor has a set cable length. The cable length is listed at the end of the Description field on the product’s Ordering tab. For example, the 034B-ET model has a description of “Met One Wind Set for ET Station, 67 inch Cable.” Products with a set cable length terminate, as a default, with pigtails.
If a cable terminates with a special connector for a unique system, the end of the model number designates which system. For example, the 034B-ET model designates the sensor as a 034B for an ET107 system.