HYDRIX® radar

The HYDRIX® weather radar proposed by NOVIMET is a specialized radar for the rainfall measurement. Associated to the ZPHI® software, it offers the same precision as 11000 rain gauges spread over a radius of 60 km.

 
 

HYDRIX® radar operates at X band and possesses the Doppler and polarimetric capability. At X band, an accurate antenna resolution is obtained with a moderate antenna size (1.5 m diameter). Thus wind resistance (to 180 km/h) of the positioner may be achieved without radome. The interest of operating without radome is two fold:

1 – When raining over the radome, a water film develops, that induces a severe insertion loss and biases the radar calibration. Hydrophobic painting on the radome is not a practical solution since it loses its property after six months of outside exposure. Operating without radome allows avoiding this major inconvenient.

2 – The radome increases significantly the total mass of the system and increases infrastructure constraint and complexity of installation.

The HYDRIX® antenna of the offset type has been specified for particularly low side lobes (<-30 dB), which reduces the ground clutter and improves the radar visibility in complex terrain.

Latest generation of HYDRIX radar embed the whole radar electronics in the pedestal, which is airtight and cooled by an air-conditioning unit. Thus, the radar is fully protected against outdoor aggression such as dust salted fog or insects.

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