iFLUX awarded patent for prepack filter for flux measurement

iFLUX has received a patent for its prepack filter. The invention ensures a reliable hydraulic coupling between the subsurface and the iFLUX Horizontal Flux Sensor. This patent confirms iFLUX’s unique, validated approach to accurately measuring true groundwater flow (both velocity and direction).

With iFLUX Sensing Solutions iFLUX builds reliable groundwater monitoring networks that show how groundwater actually moves. Customers use these networks to get real-time insights into groundwater dynamics, so they can make smarter decisions, protect sensitive receptors, optimise clean-up actions, and report compliance with confidence.

The Horizontal Flux Sensor, part of iFLUX Sensing Solutions, uniquely measures groundwater velocity and direction, but the quality of flux measurements stands or falls with the hydraulic coupling between the sensor and the aquifer. In heterogeneous, unconsolidated sediments, this is not a given. The patented iFLUX prepack filter creates a standardised, 360° inflow to the sensor and minimises bypass, so that the measured flux represents the actual flux in the formation.

The prepack filter is installed in the borehole together with the Horizontal Flux Sensor, and contains a carefully selected sand fraction and mesh that together create a stable, saturated configuration around the sensor. This allows the sensor to measure true groundwater flux (m/s) and flow direction with minimal disturbance from installation effects.