Tihon l; Sobolik V (1993) Dynamics of electrodiffusion probes in wavy film flow.

Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Electrodiffusion Diagnostics of Flows, Dourdan, France, pp. 397 404 Wang DM; Tarbell JM (1993) An approximate solution for the

dynamic response of wall transfer probes. Int I Heat Mass Transfer 36:4341 4349 Wein O (1981) On the transient Leveque's problem with an application in electrochemistry. Collect Czech Chem Commun 46: 3209-3220

Experimentsin Fluids20 134

(1995)

134 135

Springer-Verlag 1995

A differential-pressure probe for velocity measurements in swirling air flows

U. Schmidt

Abstract For measuring air velocities in swirling flows a differential pressure probe of small axial length was developed. The determination of the velocity is based on measuring the difference between the stagnation pressure and the base pressure of a circular disk whose surface is perpendicular to the main flow direction.

Design of the probe

The probe consists of two parallel tubes of outer diameter d and a circular plane disk of diameter D = 2d mounted between the two tubes at their ends (Fig. 1). The probe should be oriented such that the disk is perpendicular to the main flow direction. The longer tube, mounted on the upstream side of the disk, has in its wall a hole of diameter do = D/6 positioned in the axis of the disk and facing against the flow direction, so that the total pressure can be sensed because the lower end of this tube, at the rim of the disk, is closed. The open end of the second shorter tube on the downstream side of the disk is exposed to the base pressure in the separated flow (Fig. 1). The two tubes of inner diameter 45d are connected to a differential pressure gauge whose reading can be calibrated in terms of the air flow velocity. Because of its small extent in flow direction the probe is appropriate for being used in the afore-mentioned swirling flows existing, e.g., in a cyclone separator. A probe has been built with brass tubes of outer diameter d - - 2 mm. This allowed to introduce the probe into the flow through 4 mm holes drilled in the wall of the cyclone.

1 Introduction
In situations when laser-Doppler or hot-wire anemometers are not available or difficult to apply, air flow velocities are often measured with differential-pressure probes, e.g. the classical Prandtl tube or, with a much higher degree of directional resolution, five- and seven-hole probes (e.g. Ostowari and Wentz 1983; Zilliac 1993). Its relatively large length makes the Prandtl probe inappropriate for being used in swirling flows where the radius of curvature of the streamlines is of the same order of magnitude or even smaller than the axial dimension of the probe. For measuring air velocities in such flows with swirl a pressure probe of small axial length has been developed that is described in this Note. The probe is based on measuring the difference between the stagnation (total) pressure and the base pressue of a circular disk whose surface is perpendicular to the main flow direction. The probe has been found to be useful for measuring the air velocities in a cyclone separator.

Calibration of the probe

The measured pressure difference
Ap ~- (Plolal --Pbase )

is set proportional to the dynamic pressure: 1 w2

Received: 13 December 1994~Accepted: 4 July !995

U. Schmidt Lehrstuhl ffir Apparatebau, Universit~t Essen, D-45117 Essen, Germany

with p being the fluid density and w the flow velocity. For a Prandtl tube one has K = 1. Since the base pressure is usually lower than the static pressure in the free stream, the K-value for this probe should be smaller than one. The values of K that

"

i
i__

% -2

NI'
,
ro= D / 8

ID--,

-----

--@--

O.
"5

-4

\
r s = 0,1 s/(s/2) ,~----- D -.-_. ~

-6
O n-

-8
-10

t
-20 ~ .15 ~ -10 ~

1.19820
.5 ~ 0o 5~ 10 ~ 15 ~

"
20 ~

135

-12

Fig. 1. Design of disk probe

Fig. 3. Angular accuracy of the probe in terms of the relative error of the dynamic pressure for taking the reference measurements. For the investigated range of Reynolds numbers, the value of K turned out to be relatively constant as K = 0.76 (Fig. 2). The reading of the probe also depends on the accuracy with which the disk is oriented normally to the flow direction. Measurements were performed in which the deviation from the main flow direction was varied over an angular range of - 20 ~ ~ a ~ + 20 ~ at various Reynolds numbers. The results are shown in Fig. 3 in terms of the relative error made in determining the dynamic pressure p W2/2. It is seen that this error is not larger than 1% if the angle of attack, cr varies between + 5.
4 Conclusion

0.85

0.80/

K = 0.76

v. 0 . 7 5 -

&

&

0.70

0.65 ~.~ ~ ~ ', . . . . l x l 04

', , . : , , 3x10'*

i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 x i 04 ' Re

7 x 104

Fig. 2. Calibration of factor K versus Reynolds number

must be determined by calibration are expected to depend on the Reynolds number, Re. A strong dependence on Re, however, would be of great inconvenience (Ower and Pankhurst 1977). An indication that K might be independent of Re for certain ranges of the Reynolds number is given by the observation that the drag of a disk exposed normally to the flow is almost constant for Re-numbers around 10 4 to 10 5 (see, e.g., Debler 1990) and by the fact that the drag of such a disk is almost totally its base drag. K-numbers have been determined by taking measurements in the fully developed air flow in a pipe at Reynolds numbers 1.1.10 4 <~Re <~6.6' 10 4, where the Reynolds number was formed with D as the characteristic length. A Pitot tube served

A simple, inexpensive differential-pressure probe is described that is particularly useful for measuring air velocity in swirling flows at they occur, e.g., in a cyclone separator. The reading of the probe is proportional to the dynamic pressure of the flow, the factor of proportionality being independent of the Reynolds number in a range 1.1. 104~< Re ~ 6.6- 104, according to the performed calibration of the probe.

References

Debler WR (1990) Fluid mechanics fundamentals, Prentice-Hall Ostowari C; Wentz Jr WH (1983) Modified calibration technique of a five-hole probe for high flow angles. Exp Fluids 1:166-168 Ower E; Pankhurst RC (1977) The measurement of air flow. 5th edition, p. 35. Oxford: Pergamon Zilliac GG (1993) Modelling, calibration, and error analysis of seven-hole pressure probes. Exp Fluids 14:104-120