Figure 3.

Flow rates measured by the LWAF

compared to a standard. Error bars show one
standard deviation of 20 measurements each
averaged for !0 seconds.
Bookmark and
Share

Sign Up for NIST E-mail alerts:
Enteremailaddress
Go
NIST Home > PML > Sensor Siene !i"ision > #l$id Metrolog% &ro$p > Long-'a"elength ao$sti flo'meter
Meas$ring omple( gas flo's 'ith a long-'a"elength
ao$sti flo' meter
)on"entional gas flo' meas$rements ond$ted in large d$ts *s$h as the smoke stak of a
oal-+$rning po'er plant, ha"e $nertainties of - . to /0 .1 )onse2$entl%3 the 2$antit% of
poll$tants *s$lf$r dio(ide3 mer$r%3 nitrogen o(ides3 and ar+on dio(ide, emitted +% s$h
d$ts ha"e e2$all% large $nertainties1 4s part of NIST5s &reenho$se &as and )limate
Siene Meas$rements Program3 'e are testing long-'a"elength ao$sti flo' meters
*L64#s, to red$e this $nertaint%1 L64#s meas$re the a"erage "ol$me flo' of fl$e gases
in smoke staks1 The meas$red "ol$me flo' an +e om+ined 'ith meas$rements of the
fl$e gas5s press$re3 temperat$re3 and omposition to determine the mass of poll$tants
emitted +% the stak1
Figure 2. "#lic$ on the image above to see an animation.% &n '&()*s model LWAF
loudspea$ers generate low fre+uency sound waves that propagate past several a,ially-
spaced microphones. )he sound is partially reflected at the ends of the ducts and passes
the microphones again. )he data from the microphones determine the speed of sound
and the average flow velocity. .ecause the sound*s wavelengths are longer than the
duct*s diameter the data determine the a,ial flow velocity averaged over the entire
cross section of the duct. &n contrast ultrasonic "short wavelength% acoustic flow meters
determine the a,ial flow velocity averaged over a small fraction of the cross section.
To test L64#s3 'e onstr$ted the ali+rated3 /:/00 sale model3 test failit% sho'n in #ig1
/1 The model L64# determined the speed of so$nd in am+ient air 'ith a standard
$nertaint% of 010- .1 6ithin this $nertaint%3 the speed of so$nd agrees 'ith the "al$e
al$lated from NIST5s 7E#P78P data+ase1
The same L64# determined the a"erage
flo' "eloit%1 It agreed3 'ithin 9/ .3 'ith
the "eloit% determined from a
NIST-ali+rated flo' standard $pstream
from the L64#1 This good agreement 'as
maintained for flo's $p to :; m<s3 e"en
after a s'irl-ind$ing t$rn-aro$nd setion
'as inserted +et'een the flo' standard and
the L64#1 *See #ig1 =1, Similar $nertainties
'ere o+tained 'ith highl% distorted flo's
generated +% plaing o+str$tions $pstream
of the L64#1

To "erif% the sala+ilit% of the method3 'e
'ill test L64#s in NIST5s /:/0 sale smoke
stak sim$lator1
Figure /. /0/00 scale "/0 cm 12 pipe% LWAF facility. )he fan
forces air through a calibrated flow standard "0.2 3
uncertainty with a 45 3 confidence level% then through a
swirl-generating turn-around section and finally through the
LWAF.
Contact
Lee &orn%
=0/->?--:@/A Telephone
Beith &illis
=0/->?--:;@A Telephone
/00 B$rea$ !ri"e3 M<S A=@0
&aithers+$rg3 M! :0A>>-A=@0
The National Instit$te of Standards and Tehnolog% *NIST, is an agen% of the U1S1 !epartment of )ommere1
Pri"a% Poli% < Se$rit% Notie < 4essi+ilit% Statement < !islaimer < #reedom of Information 4t *#8I4, <
En"ironmental Poli% Statement < No #ear 4t Poli% < NIST Information C$alit% Standards <
Sientifi Integrit% S$mmar%
!ate reated: #e+r$ar% =3 :0/; D Last $pdated: 4pril =03 :0/; )ontat: Webmaster
'&() )ime '&() 6ome About '&() #ontact 7s A-8 (ite &nde,
E
4+o$t PML P$+liations Topi<S$+Fet 4reas Prod$ts<Ser"ies Ne's<M$ltimedia Programs<ProFets #ailities
Long-wavelength acoustic flowmeter http://www.nist.gov/pml/div685/grp02/lwaf.cfm
. 1 1 20.05.2014 21:35