EXPERIMENT NO.

18

AIM: MEASUREMENT OF WIND SPEED USING DIGITAL ANEMOMETER

Apparatus: Fan, Regulator, Screw/Propeller Type Digital Thermo-Anemometer,

Measuring Tape

INTRODUCTION
ANEMOMETERS
Anemometers are basically velocity-measuring devices for obtaining the velocity of a fluid
stream, such as air flow in a ventilating duct or wind tunnel or water flow in a closed
channel, or the wind speed as in meteorology. The design is based on a simple mechanical
system as in cup anemometers or on heat-transfer principles as in hot-wire-anemometers.

CUP - TYPE ANEMOMETERS (figure 1)

Cup anemometers consist of a vertical spindle rotating freely about the vertical axis
mounted on bearings. The spindle is coupled to three equally-spaced horizontal arms. A
hemispherical shape cup is mounted at the end of each arm with the meridian plane
vertical. When placed in an airstream, a difference of pressure is set up between the
concave and convex sides of the cups, resulting in a rotational torque at the vertical spindle.
The spindle is coupled to a mechanical or electrical counter, calibrated in units of velocity,
i.e. in m/s. The readings on the counter integrated over a specified period give an
indication of the wind speed. In the electrical type, the pickup may be a magnetic or
capacitive device. Velocities up to 3000 m/s can be measured by this device. Owing to
frictional losses, the device is not very accurate and needs calibration periodically.

Figure 1 cup type of anemometer

HOT-WIRE / HOT - FILM ANEMOMETER

The measurement of mean velocity and velocity fluctuations are important in aerodynamic
research and allied fields. On account of high -frequency response requirements hot-wire /
hot-film anemometers are able to give the most satisfactory results for fluid-flow
measurement; the fluid can even be gases at high speeds or non-conductive liquids at low
speeds. Latest devices involve laser techniques also for the purpose. A hot - wire
anemometer consists of a small length of very fine-heated metal wire supported on a probe
which is exposed to the fluid flow whose velocity is to be measured. The wire is heated by
the passage of current through it. When the device is exposed to the flow of the fluid
(usually air), heat is dissipated by the wire through convection , in addition to other losses
due to radiation and conduction along the wire supports, thus causing a drop in
temperature , and consequently , a diminishing change in resistance. The wire attains an
equilibrium temperature when heat generated in it is just balanced by the heat loss from its
surface. The wire can be operated in constant current or constant temperature modes. For
flow and turbulence measurements, wire of 2 to 5 microns dia., length 2 to 5 mm and
resistance 2 to 5 ohms are used. The usual materials are platinum, platinum-iridium or
tungsten. In the first mode, the change in resistance needed to attain equilibrium is a
measure of the velocity; in the second type, the change in current required to bring the
wire to the initial temperature becomes a measure of the flow velocity. The anemometer
electrical-output signal is related to the rate of heat loss from the probe, which is a scalar
quantity, while the information required is normally the instantaneous velocity, which is a
vector quantity. Therefore, not only does the anemometer require careful calibration for a
specific set of flow conditions, but can also involve special considerations for meaningful
interpretation of the measurements in terms of the required properties. It is possible to
calculate a theoretical calibration curve for a hot-wire anemometer, once the geometry and
material properties of the probe and properties of the flow are known. From a practical
point of view, it is far simpler to calibrate a given probe in a known flow, as this involves
fewer uncertainties. For example, the resistivity and temperature coefficient of resistivity
of a set of short samples taken from a length of a very uniform wire can each vary by as
much as 10% from the average value.

SCREW/PROPELLER TYPE DIGITAL ANEMOMETER

A propeller anemometer has a sensor with a streamlined body and a vertical tail to detect
wind direction and a sensor in the form of a propeller to measure wind speed integrated
into a single structure. It measures wind direction and wind speed, and can indicate/record
the instantaneous wind direction and wind speed in remote locations. It also measures the
average wind speed using wind-passage contacts or by calculating the number of optical
pulses. There are generator-type and optical pulse generator-type propeller anemometers.
At present, the optical pulse generator type is mainly used because its contact resistance is
small over a wide range of wind speeds from weak to strong, and its measurement system
can be made small and lightweight. Some anemometers are capable of measuring wind
speeds from 0.4 to 90 m/s.
1) Generator-type Propeller Anemometers
Figure 2 shows the main part of a generator-type propeller anemometer’s transmitter
sensor. It includes a propeller that reacts to wind pressure and turns at a rate
corresponding to the wind speed, an AC generator, a tail assembly and a selsyn motor (A
system consisting of a generator and a motor so connected that the motor will assume the
same relative position as the generator; the generator and the motor are synchronized ) to
generate wind direction signals. To detect the wind direction and measure the wind speed
accurately, the tail assembly of a propeller anemometer is designed so that the propeller
always faces the wind. An AC generator connected to the propeller shaft generates induced
voltages proportional to the wind speed. These AC voltage signals are rectified to a DC
voltage and output as an analogue voltage signal proportional to the wind speed. The
analogue voltage signal is transmitted to a wind speed indicator or a recorder in which a
voltmeter is assembled, and the instantaneous wind speed is ascertained. There is another
type of propeller anemometer that uses a different method. As the propeller shaft
undergoes a certain number of revolutions for a wind passage of 60 m or 100 m, for
example, worm gears (i.e., a gear-reducing mechanism) coupled to the axis of the generator
rotate the reduced gear once; a microswitch linked to the reduced gear generates electrical
pulses, which are then counted to calculate the average wind speed over a ten-minute time
period. This is a combination of the generator type and the pulse generator type.

Figure 2 generator type propeller anemometer

2) Pulse Generator-type Propeller Anemometers

A pulse generator-type propeller anemometer basically has the same external appearance
as a generator-type propeller anemometer. The optical pulse generator type generates
voltage pulses using a chopper disk that is directly coupled to the propeller shaft and a
photocoupler. As shown in Figure 3, the wind speed sensor consists of a chopper disk and a
photocoupler (i.e., a semiconductor device to convert light to electrical signals). It is
essentially a light-emitting diode and a phototransistor situated facing each other, placed
inside a mold and sealed. The chopper disk is positioned so as to interrupt the optical axis
of the photocoupler. A number of holes are made along the periphery of the disk so that it
allows the passage of or interrupts a beam of light between the emitting and receiving
devices of the photocoupler. When the phototransistor receives the beam of light, a voltage
pulse is generated. The number of pulses for each unit time depends on the number of
holes (24, 48, 60, etc., per revolution), and a number of pulse signals proportional to the
wind speed is output. These pulse signals are sampled every 0.25 seconds, and the average
value of the samples over a 3-second period (12 samples) is taken as the instantaneous
wind speed. The average wind speed over a ten-minute period is obtained using the wind-
passage method or the CR integrated-circuit method of calculating generated pulses in real
time with a microprocessor. In the case of the method with the microprocessor, pulse
signals sampled every 0.25 seconds are processed to obtain the average value over a 1-
minute period (20 instantaneous values are sampled), and this value is further averaged to
obtain an overlapping average for a 10-minute period. As the pulse signals output from the
optical pulse generator type are digital, they are suitable for computer processing. They are
converted to DC analogue signals using a D/A converter for indication or recording on
analogue devices. Another method of signal transmission is to use optical fibers to transmit
pulse signals. A beam of light is emitted onto the chopper disk, and the optical pulses
chopped by it are directly transmitted to the converter and the recorder through optical
fiber. This method uses the same principle of wind-speed signal generation as the pulse
generator type; the difference is in how the generated signals are transmitted.

Figure 3 Pulse Generator-type Propeller Anemometer

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
1. Pulse Generator-type Propeller Anemometer is provided with system for air flow
measurement.
2. Distance of the sensor is adjustable form Exhaust fan.
3. Display unit is simple sort of frequency counter, calibrated in terms of wind speed in
different units.
4. Small Exhaust fan with speed control is provided for obtaining different air flow
reading.

PROCEDURE
1. Connect sensor cable to display unit properly. ( Note that there is a notch to Male-
Female connector , and it should match properly before pressing the connector in
display unit)
2. Make power on to the display unit and exhaust fan. Keep fan speed maximum.
3. Select proper unit of measurement say Km/Hr
4. Place sensor at minimum distance from fan on sliding scale arrangement.
5. Note the reading.
6. Increase the distance of sensor form fan in steps of 1 cm and every time note the
reading.
7. Tabulate the result.

OBSERVATION TABLE
SR NO Distance (cm) Wind speed Km/hr

PRECAUTIONS
When not in use, make power off of the display unit. Battery cells may get discharged for
long time power on. Do not touch propeller arrangement of sensor. lt is highly sensitive,
and may get damaged due to improper handling. Fix properly at notch point, Male
connector of sensor to female connector of display unit.

CALCULATIONS
1. Plot the graph of distance vs. wind speed on a graph paper. Plot same graph using Excel.
Find out the best fit curve and best fit equation for R2=0.95
2. Find the best fit data from best fit equation.
3. Obtain the deviation of measured values of wind speed from the best fit values.

CONCLUSIONS
Write down your observation and finding from the performed experiment. Why wind
speed remains constant despite of changing the distance between propeller and source?