Brief Overview of Hot

Wire Anemometers

GE 330: Mechatronics
Paul Kawka
What is an Anemometer?
 Anemometer – measures gas speed
 Types
 rotating cup
 pitot static tube
 thermal (hot wire)
 also performs temperature measurement
 Hot-wire anemometry is the most common
method used to measure instantaneous fluid
velocity. The technique ( found in the early
70s by King and others) depends on the
convective heat loss to the surrounding fluid
from an electrically heated sensing element
or probe. If only the fluid velocity varies, then
the heat loss can be interpreted as a
measure of that variable, ( relate heat loss to
flow ).
Theory of Operation
 Energy Balance
 Constant temperature or constant current
operation
 Measure change in current or change in
temperature
 Correlate I or Twire to gas velocity based on
convective H.T. and fluid dynamics
Features

• Measures velocities from few cm/s to supersonic.

• High temporal resolution: fluctuations up to several

hundred kHz.

• High spatial resolution: eddies down to 1 mm or less.

• Measures all three velocity components

simultaneously, and Provides instantaneous velocity
information.
Applications

» Aerospace
» Automotives
» Bio-medical & bio-technology
» Combustion diagnostics
» Earth science & environmen
» Fundamental fluid dynamics
» Hydraulics & hydrodynamics
» Mixing processes
» Processes & chemical engineering
» Wind engineering
» Sprays (atomization of liquids)

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Principles of operation
 Consider a thin wire mounted to
supports and exposed to a
velocity U.
When a current is passed
through wire, heat is generated Current I Sensor dimensions:
length ~1 mm
( I 2 Rw ). In equilibrium, this diameter ~5 micrometer

must be balanced by heat loss

(basically convection) to the
surroundings.
• If the velocity changes, Velocity U
Wire supports
(St.St. needles)
convective heat transfer Sensor (thin wire)

coefficient will change, so the

wire’s temperature will
change and eventually reach
a new equilibrium.

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Principle of operation

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 Measurement Principles

The control circuit for hot-wire anemometry is in the form of a
Wheatstone bridge consisting of four electrical resistances, one of which
is the sensor. When the required amount of current is passed through
the sensor, the sensor is heated to the operating temperature, at which
point the bridge is balanced. If the flow is increased, the heat transfer
rate from the sensor to the ambient fluid will increase, and the sensor
will thereby tend to cool. the accompanying drop in the sensor's
electrical resistance will upset the balance of the bridge. This unbalance
is sensed by the high gain DC amplifier, which will in turn produce a
higher voltage and increase the current through the sensor, thereby
restoring the sensor to its previously balanced condition. The DC
amplifier provides the necessary negative feedback for the control of the
constant temperature anemometer. The bridge or amplifier output
voltage is, then an indication of flow velocity.

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Probe
 Tungsten or Platinum
filament
 ~1 mm long
 4-10 mm diameter
 Benefits
 Good spatial resolution
 Flat frequency response
 Limitations
 Fragile
 Requires clean flow
 Cost (start at $300-400)
Interfacing
 Wide variety of options
 Devices typically come with some sort of m-controller
 Depends on application
 Handheld vs. in-situ

 Most common
 Serial RS232 – for sampled data collection and control

 Larger selection for industrial sensors

 Serial RS232, RS485
 Analog 4-20 mA, 0-10V
 Profibus, Modbus, etc.
Typical Specifications
Handheld/Economy Industrial Grade
Measurable 0.2-20 m/s 0.2-90 m/s
velocities
Operating temp 0-50 °C -40-200 °C
ranges
Velocity ± 3% reading ± 1% reading
Accuracy
Time constant 200 ms 100 ms
Interfacing Handheld reader, RS232 RS232, RS485, voltage,
options 4-20 mA, Modbus,
Profibus, etc.