WEMITE #1 was the first ruggedized instrument tower to be constructed at
Texas Tech, it was also the first to be deployed in a landfalling
tropical cyclone, Earl (1998). Since WEMITE #1 became operational it has been the
workhorse of the TTUHRT fleet, participating in all 24 deployments since 1998.
Only twice has it failed to collect a complete data record (due to power
regulator problems).
The original WEMITE #1 was built with a telescoping 10 m lattice tower.
The platform collects wind speed and direction data at 2, 5, and 10 m height.
IN addition to the wind data, WEMITE #1 also collects temperature, relative
humidity, and barometric pressure data. It is mounted on a 10 ft trailer. Four
support legs provided stability when deployed and were folded over the tower
during transit. Two more support legs were located at the rear of the trailer
and provided additional stability to the tower mast. All six were anchored with
modified mobile home anchors, shown below. The tower is also anchor by up to
six guy wires, which are also anchored in the same manner. It is estimated that
WEMITE #1 can withstand sustained wind speeds (one-minute mean) of up to 150
miles per hour, or peak three-second gusts of up to 180 miles per hour,
although the system has never measured winds this high.
The data acquisition system is housed in a hardened steel enclosure
located on the trailer. The system is run by a laptop computer and LabView based software. The system samples at 10 Hz or 10
samples per second. The platform is powered by a bank of 8 deep cycle marine
batteries, which are continuously charged by a small wind generator located on
the tower, which gives it the capability to potentially operate for an
indefinite period of time. The battery bank is located near the data
acquisition system, which is contained in a water proof and debris proof
enclosure.
The primary wind sensing instrument used by TTUHRT is the RM Young 5106
Wind Monitor. Its rugged nature and ability to resolve relative small scale
turbulent features in high wind conditions made it the perfect fit. The tower
also has the capability for two vertical propeller anemometers at 2 and 10 m.
WEMITE #1 has made every deployment since the project’s inception in
1998. It is anchored with modified mobile home anchors and up to 6 guy wires.
In 2005, the WEMITE #1
telescoping mast was damaged during the recovery following Hurricane Emily. The
mast was replaced with a two section mast, with the lower section constructed
of steel and the upper section constructed of aluminum. The upper section is
attached during the deployment and is transported on the trailer during
transit. The instrument arms were returned to their original positions.
WEMITE #1 following modifications deployed
in