Non-Contact Optical Monitoring & Detection for Liquid Hydrocarbons, HABs & CDOM

Hawk sensors offer exceptional versatility in detecting a wide range of liquid hydrocarbons and contaminants. This includes oils, fuels, and other petroleum products, produced water, blue-green (cyanobacteria) and green algae, select other microalgae, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM).

The sensors utilize both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) spectral bands to detect a broad spectrum of hydrocarbons. UVA excels at detecting crude oil and heavier petroleum products like fuel oils, lubricants, heating oils, and hydraulic oils.

However, UVA and conventional UVA-only sensors have limitations. They struggle to detect or completely miss lighter refined products like gasoline and naphtha. This is where UVB technology comes in. It provides a significant advantage by effectively detecting these lighter products.

UVA is also used to detect CDOM, a naturally occurring organic material found in water.

Hawks leverage multiple select wavelengths in the visible spectrum to maximize sensitivity and accuracy for targeted algal pigments and corresponding blooms.

Our sensors may also be able to detect other products like condensates, solvents, coolants, cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, and fluids with UV tracers or dyes. Please contact us to discuss the feasibility and explore the most suitable solution for your specific needs. 

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are large accumulations of algae that can produce toxins, disrupt aquatic ecosystems, and cause problems for drinking water supplies, industrial operations, and recreational waterbodies.

BlueHawk Algae Sensors continuously monitor and quantify targeted blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)—including both freshwater and marine species—green algae, and select other microalgae such as golden algae in waters by analyzing the levels of specific photosynthetic pigments within these organisms.

Each sensor is configured for the target algae and corresponding pigments. Chlorophyll, found in all algae, serves as a baseline measurement for overall algal activity. Additional pigments can be used for more specific identification: Phycocyanin indicates the presence and concentration of freshwater or marine cyanobacteria, while phycoerythrin is used to detect and quantify marine blue-green algae specifically.

By using a combination of chlorophyll and the additional pigments, BlueHawk Algae Sensors provide a more comprehensive picture of algal activity and type in the waterbody than common chlorophyll-only monitoring.

Additionally, a BlueHawk CDOM Sensor can be deployed to monitor colored dissolved organic matter in surface waters by measuring the level of its fluorescent components.

Hawks’ non-contact detection method eliminates the need for physical contact with the water, resulting in virtually maintenance-free operation with no biofouling.

BlueHawk sensor’s unique and patented LED-based coaxial optical design offers significant advantages over conventional sensors. It allows for reliable monitoring of water and terrestrial surfaces like concrete, metal, soil, and ice—including direct detection on equipment surfaces—regardless of their shape or orientation. This makes BlueHawk ideal for monitoring flat and uneven surfaces, equipment with intricate geometries, and industrial, municipal, and natural water systems. They are also well-suited for detecting hydrocarbons in process waters, cooling waters, produced waters, and wastewaters.

CFRS sensors’ large lenses and apertures offer efficient light delivery and improved signal-to-noise ratio, boosting sensitivity to detect even trace levels of hydrocarbons and algae, while minimizing false alarms.

Continuous built-in self-diagnostics, light source status monitoring, and LED power compensation functions ensure peak performance in any conditions.

High pulse rates enable BlueHawk sensors to operate five times faster than traditional sensors, making them ideal for monitoring choppy, turbulent, and fast-moving waters.

The result: BlueHawk sensors enable reliable monitoring in many applications where traditional methods fall short.

Leveraging the advancements in optics and electronics, Hawk sensors achieve remarkable compactness, lightweight design, and minimal power consumption. This makes them ideal for deployment in space-restricted and power-limited environments, such as cramped sumps, remote monitoring stations, buoys, aerial drones, and other battery- or solar-powered applications.

Hawk sensors feature IP68-rated standard enclosures, providing robust protection in demanding environments and resistance to temporary submersion.

Optionally, HazLoc (Class I/II/III, ATEX) enclosures are available for deployment in hazardous locations with flammable gases, vapors, liquids, or combustible dust. This makes them suitable for industries like oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, and mining.

Built to endure the harshest conditions, Hawk sensors deliver reliable and virtually maintenance-free monitoring for years to come.

With an over 33 ft (10 m) detection range, Hawk installations are designed for minimal disruption. The sensors can be mounted on nearby or distant platforms like water intake towers, embankments, dams, piers, bridges, deep sumps, loading/unloading racks, storage tanks, and other structures within industrial facilities. They can also be deployed on vessels, vehicles, and aerial drones for mobile monitoring.

Hawk CFRS sensors are highly adaptable to varying surface distances, ensuring reliable water monitoring in industrial settings and waterbodies with high waves or large tidal variations.

An exceptionally wide detection angle (±45°) expands deployment options in environments where perpendicular installation is difficult or impossible. This also allows pairing the sensor with a pan-tilt mount for continuous scanning of large areas and surfaces up to 1,600 sq ft (150 m²) from a single point.

Additionally, the broad detection angle enhances monitoring coverage on complex surfaces of intricate equipment and improves accuracy in dynamic environments such as turbulent or fast-flowing waters with constantly changing surface topography.

Hawk sensors are engineered for the demands of modern industrial and environmental monitoring. With robust real-time monitoring capabilities, Hawk sensors continuously collect up-to-the-moment data on hydrocarbon presence, algae blooms, and contamination events, and can transmit data or alarms as needed. This empowers users to track changes as they happen, respond immediately to anomalies, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Built-in edge computing enables each sensor to process and analyze data locally, right at the source. As a result, actionable insights—such as alarm threshold breaches—can be generated instantly, even before data is sent to the cloud or control center. Edge intelligence not only reduces bandwidth requirements by transmitting only essential information and alarms, but also ensures immediate on-site notifications and can trigger external safety or other devices locally for rapid response to emerging issues. This approach delivers continuous, real-time data for accurate, up-to-date operational and environmental insights, while enabling immediate local actions and enhancing reliability and compliance with automated, traceable data collection.

Sensors can be configured remotely from your desk or control room. Versatile connectivity options—including direct wired connections, or wireless transmission via integrated cellular, satellite, or low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) modules—enable secure, reliable delivery of both continuous real-time monitoring data and actionable alerts. This IoT-ready, edge-enabled sensor platform provides efficient data management, instant insights, and global accessibility.

Hawk sensors feature a comprehensive range of industry-standard interfaces—including RS-485 (Modbus RTU) / USB, 4-20 mA analog output, and SPDT relay contacts—for integration with SCADA, PLCs, and other industrial or environmental monitoring systems. Designed for flexibility, Hawks can operate independently or as part of scalable, multi-sensor networks, ensuring compatibility with both modern digital and legacy analog infrastructures.

To further enhance functionality, Hawk sensors offer optional features tailored to specific needs. For example, the BlueHawk can be equipped with surface distance measurement to improve detection accuracy across its entire sensing range, especially in applications with widely fluctuating surface distances or water levels. Additionally, Hawks can be fitted with a data logger for recording digital output, enabling historical data analysis even when offline from the main network.