Low-Cost System Based on Optical Sensor to Monitor Discharge of Industrial Oil in Irrigation Ditches

Uncontrolled dumping linked to agricultural vehicles causes an increase in the incorporation of oils into the irrigation system. In this paper, we propose a system based on an optical sensor to monitor oil concentration in the irrigation ditches. Our prototype is based on the absorption and dispersion of light. As a light source, we use Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) with different colours (white, yellow, blue, green, and red) and a photodetector as a sensing element. To test the sensor’s performance, we incorporate industrial oils used by a diesel or gasoline engine, with a concentration from 0 to 0.20 mL(oil)/cm(2). The experiment was carried out at different water column heights, 0 to 20 cm. According to our results, the sensor can differentiate between the presence or absence of diesel engine oil with any LED. For gasoline engine oil, the sensor quantifies its concentration using the red light source; concentrations greater than 0.1 mL(oil)/cm(2) cannot be distinguished. The data gathered using the red LED has an average absolute error of 0.003 mL(oil)/cm(2) (relative error of 15.8%) for the worst case, 15 cm. Finally, the blue LED generates different signals in the photodetector according to the type of oil. We developed an algorithm that combines (i) the white LED, to monitor the presence of oil; (ii) the blue LED, to identify if the oil comes from a gasoline or diesel engine; and (iii) the red LED, to monitor the concentration of oil used by a gasoline engine.