Rugged constant-temperature thermal anemometer

TL;DR

This paper introduces a robust, easy-to-build thermal anemometer that measures wind speeds and turbulence with high frequency response at a constant low temperature, suitable for outdoor and indoor applications.

Contribution

It presents a novel design of a rugged thermal anemometer operating at a fixed low temperature, capable of measuring turbulent fluctuations up to 100 Hz.

Findings

Capable of measuring wind speeds up to 14 m/s

Can detect turbulence fluctuations up to ~100 Hz

Operates reliably in outdoor and indoor environments

Abstract

Here we report a robust thermal anemometer which can be easily built. It was conceived to measure outdoor wind speeds, and for airspeed monitoring in wind tunnels and other indoor uses. It works at a constant, low temperature of approximately 90$^\circ$C, so that an independent measurement of the air temperature is required to give a correct speed reading. Despite the size and high thermal inertia of the probe, the test results show that this anemometer is capable of measuring turbulent fluctuations up to ~100 Hz in winds of ~14 m/s, which corresponds to a scale similar to the length of the probe.