System and method for measuring the speed of fluid flow of varying direction

Abstract: An object of spherical shape is disposed in such a way that it changes the speed of any flow of two-dimensionally varying direction to the same extent. The dynamic pressure on the object, relative to the ambient, is so measured that there exists a unique and theoretically determined relation between the pressure and the speed of approaching flow.

Description: The present invention relates to a method commonly used for measuring flow speed which can be categorized into manometric (pressure detecting), thermal, sonic, and rotation measurement. The manometric method utilizes a pitot tube or various head meters. The method is excellent in that the devices involved are simple and invulnerable. Furthermore, it requires no calibration in principle, since the method is based on the fundamental laws of fluid mechanics. Thus, the pitot tube has been the standard instrument for the flow speed measurement. However, the pitot tube method requires complicated manipulation or instrumentation when used for the flow of varying direction, a well-known Dynes instrument or its modern versions being a good example. Head meters such as a venturi tube and an orifice meter can be only applicable to the unidirectional, confined flow in a conduit. The thermal method such as hot-wire and thermometer technique is based on the dependence of cooling rate on the flow speed. Response of a hot-wire or thermocouple anemometer is fast thereby making the method useful for turbulence measurements. However, this method is not used in operational measurements, because deposit of dust, rain or snow can cause very large errors. The sonic or acoustic method which relies on the dependence of the transit time of a sonic pulse on the transmitting medium is also very useful in the study of high-frequency flow measurements. However, this method is not used in operational measurements either for the similar reasons to the thermal method. Both hardware and data processing involved are complicated and the system is very expensive. Thus, the method using the rotation meters is the only method that is employed in long-term routine measurements in the field. Cup or propeller anemometers and current meters are accurate and durable, and, in a usual environment will give years of reliable measurements with little maintenance. However, these instruments too are subject to erroneous operation where heavy snowfall and freezing prevent rotors from rotating. Also, rotors are occasionally blown out by strong gusts of heavy storms. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a method for measuring the flow speed of fluid in environments where flow direction changes continually and adverse conditions prevent conventional instruments from operating properly. The reader will be further enlightened as to the nature of the prior art by reference to US-A-4170899, with reference to which Claim 1 is characterised. According to the first aspect of the present invention there is provided a system without moving parts for measuring a flow speed of a fluid flowing in directions varying in one plane as defined in claim 1. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for measuring a flow speed of a fluid flowing in varying directions in a single plane according to claim 3. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an anemometer as an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a graph showing the relation between the measurements with the present instrument and a standard anemometer Fig. 1 shows an anemometer as an embodiment of the present invention. It is designed to measure the two-dimensional horizontal wind speed. It consists of a cylindrical container 1 with a hemispherical cap 1b at the one end, a pressure transducer 4 with a pair of pressure inlets 2 and 3, and a signal and data processing unit 5. The static pressure inlet 2 is open to a cylindrical chamber to which the pressure at the center of the hemispherical cap P s is introduced via a perpendicularly perforated hole 1a. The reference pressure inlet 3 is placed at a distance from the hemi-spherical cap so as to measure the static pressure of the flow (i.e., the atmospheric pressure, P). The pressure transducer 4 detects the differential pressure between the two inlets. The pressure difference thus detected is then transmitted to the signal processing unit which in turn converts the signals to the wind speed V using the principles of fluid mechanics. The pressure difference is caused by the existance of the hemispherical cap 1b (to be referred to the probe hereafter) in the flow. The air with an approach speed of V in the direction of F, as shown in Fig. 1, changes its speed as it flows along the periphery of the probe. The air is at rest where it collides against the cylinder, and increases its speed until it becomes maximum at the top of the probe. The wind speed decreases thereafter, and returns to the original speed as the air leaves the probe. Such change in the flow speed is related to the pressure difference according to the theories of fluid mechanics: P s - P = ½ρV 2 (1-c 2 ) where ρ is the density of the fluid, and c is the constant that is to be determined theoretically according to the shape of the probe and the angle between the direction of the perforated hole 1a and the flow direction. As eg(1) indicates the pressure difference increases curve-linearly with increasing flow speed. Thus, we can measure V by measuring P s -P with the instrument of a known constant c. For the flow normal to the axis of the cylinder (Fig. 1), c is equal to 1.5. Fig. 2 is an example showing the basic performance of the present embodiment. Crosses in the figure are observed data points in the field. The wind speeds V were measured with a standard propeller anemometer and the pressure difference P s -P with the present embodiment. The curve in the figure represents the theoretical relation calculated from eq(1) with c=1.5. Satisfactory agreement between the measurement and the prediction by eq(1) demonstrates the capability of the present invention as a means to measure the average speed of flow of varying direction. The present invention is a manometric flow measurement based on the fundamental laws of fluid mechanics. In principle, therefore, the instrument involved requires no calibration. In other words, the present method provides the absolute measurement of flow speed just as a pitot tube does. The present embodiment operates as a pitot tube when the cylindrical container is held parallel to the flow with the hole 1 directed upstream. The constant c in eq(1) becomes zero and eq(1) reduces the principle of the standard pitot tube measurement. The present embodiment can therefore be regarded as a generalization of a pitot tube. Our method has several other attractive features. The response of the system is inherently fast, being only limited by the pressure transducer and tubing which transfer the pressure to the transducer. A preliminary comparison with an ultrasonic anemometer has provided evidence to support this claim. It is therefore applicable to the high-frequency measurement of atmospheric turbulence. The flow sensor (probe) is robust and invulnerable, since its structure is very simple with no external moving parts. This is advantageous over conventional rotation meters in a variety of situations, for instance, those where heavy snowfall or freezing conditions could hamper the proper function of the instrument. While the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various changes and modifications regarding the design of the pressure ports and tubing arrangement may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims: A system without external moving parts for measuring the flow speed of a fluid flowing in directions varying in one plane, said system comprising: a rotationally symmetric hemispheric object (1b) adapted to be positioned with its symmetric axis perpendicular to the plane to change the speed of the fluid impinging on the object (1b), a first detecting means (1a) comprising a hole provided in said object (1b) for measuring a first static pressure (Ps) of the flow on a surface of the object (1b) at the symmetric axis, a second detecting means for measuring a second static pressure (P) comprising a tube having a pressure inlet (3) to be deployed parallel to the plane, a signal and data processing unit (5) for deducing the flow speed using said first static pressure (Ps) and second static pressure (P), characterised in that the second detecting means is located at a distance from said object (1b) for measuring the second static pressure (P) of the flow undisturbed by any object forming part of the system for measuring the flow speed, and in that said signal and data processing unit (5) calculates the flow speed of the fluid from a pressure difference between the first static pressure (Ps) and the second static pressure (P) in accordance with the flowing equation: Ps - P = ½.ρ.V 2 (1-c 2 ) wherein Ps is the first static pressure, P is the second static pressure, ρ is fluid density, V is the speed of the flow, and c is a constant which is determined theoretically according to the hemispheric shape of the rotationally symmetric object (1b). A system according to claim 1 wherein: a pressure from the perforated hole (1a) and a pressure from the inlet (3) are communicated to a pressure transducer (4) which detects a pressure difference between the perforated hole (1a) and the pressure inlet (3), and the pressure difference thus detected is then transmitted to the signal and data processing unit (5) which in turn converts the pressure difference signal into a fluid speed. A method for measuring a flow speed of a fluid flowing in varying directions in a single plane comprising the steps of: hemispherically shaping an object (1b) that is rotationally symmetric and disposing the object (1b) with its axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane so that the speed of flow of fluid incident on the object (1b) from any direction is changed equally, detecting a first static pressure at a position on a surface of said object (1b) intersected by said axis and detecting a second static pressure via a second tubular pressure detecting means having a pressure inlet (3) parallel to the flowing plane, converting a pressure difference thus detected into the flow speed, characterised in that the second static pressure is detected in the plane and in that the second static pressure is detected where the flow is undisturbed by said object (1b) and said second pressure detecting means, and said converting step comprising the step of converting the pressure difference thus detected into the flow speed by the following equation: P s - P = ½.ρ.V 2 (1-c 2 ) wherein Ps is static pressure of a generally accelerated flow on the object (1b), P is a static pressure of undisturbed flow, ρ is a density of the fluid, V is an approach speed of the flow and c is a theoretically determined constant depending on a shape of the object (1b).

Inventors: OHNO HIROYUKI, TAKAMI SHINICHI, WIESINGER THOMAS, YOKOYAMA KOTARO, OHNO, HIROYUKI, TAKAMI, SHINICHI, WIESINGER, THOMAS, YOKOYAMA, KOTARO, OHNO, HIROYUKI 3-11, INADA 1-CHOME, TAKAMI, SHINICHI 5-22, MINAMI SHIN-MACHI
Applicants: DIRECTOR GENERAL
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G01F1
IPC codes: G01P5