The product innovation Lufft CHM8k complements the ceilometer family of the South German metrology specialist and is suitable for applications in which low-lying measurement ranges in up to eight kilometers are in focus. Application examples are security-related monitoring tasks on airports or in the offshore market, as well as in studies about the particle distribution within the boundary layer (e.g. fine dust and mixing layer height observations). Compared to the already well-established Lufft CHM 15k which has a measurement range of 15 Kilometers and has been successfully used by meteorological services such as the German Weather Service (DWD), the CHM8k has no constraints regarding accuracy, quality or sensitivity.
Measurement parameters
The sensor generates backscatter profiles from the particle dispersion whereby it determines cloud bases, cloud penetration depth and further target figures with an accuracy or resolution of 5 meters. It identifies up to ten cloud and aerosol layers, the cloud cover according to the WMO code 2700, the vertical visibility as well as the Sky Condition Index (precipitation and fog). The set measurement intervals are given in values between 5 and 60 seconds. In investigations of the mixing layer, averaging intervals of 10 minutes are sufficient, whereas for fog which forms rapidly, very short measurement frequencies are often requested.