Method of the Aquatic Environment Image Processing for Determining the Mineral Suspension Parameters

The present article features the developed method to determine the mineral suspension characteristics by obtaining and following processing of the aquatic environment images. This method is capable of maintaining its performance under the conditions of considerable dynamic activity of the water masses. The method feature consists in application of the developed computing algorithm, simultaneous use of morphological filters and histogram methods for image processing, and in a special calibration technique. As a whole it provides a possibility to calculate size and concentration of the particles on the images obtained. The developed technical means permitting to get the environment images of the required quality are briefly described. The algorithm of the developed software operation is represented. The examples of numerical and weight distribution of the particles according to their sizes, and the totals of comparing the results obtained by the standard and developed methods are represented. The developed method makes it possible to obtain the particle size data in the range of 50–1000 μm and also to determine the suspension concentration with ~12 % error. This method can be technically implemented for the instruments intended for in situ measurements using the gauges, allowing obtaining exposure time short values, such as applying the electron-optical converter, which acts as the image intensifier, and the high-speed electronic shutter. The completed method testing in the laboratory makes possible to obtain the results similar in accuracy with the results of the in situ measurements