MAE 123 : Mechanical Engineering Laboratory II - Fluids

Laboratory 6: Hot-Wire Anemometry

Dr. J. M. Meyers | Dr. D. G. Fletcher | Dr. Y. Dubief

ME 123: Mechanical Engineering Lab II: Fluids

Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry 1
 Goals of This Lab Module

Last lab we used a Pitot probe and manometer bank to acquire a velocity
distribution in a turbulent free jet
Problem 1
Your data will show that your similar data profiles have difficulty following the trends of numerical
solutions given to you in the regions where the edge of the profile is approached.

This is due to the fact that the Pitot/manometer bank combination is not optimal for low velocity
measurements

Problem 2
Also, with this technique, it is very difficult to gage the level of velocity fluctuations

These fluctuations are important as they can be correlated to turbulent intensity

Recall that you showed in your analysis that in the axial direction kinetic energy is not conserved

If an adequate measure of turbulent intensity can be made it can be shown that the energy deficit of
the flow is primarily because of the deposition of energy into turbulence
Hot wire anemometry is a velocity measuring technique that has the sensitivity to
measure small velocities and velocity fluctuations to help analyze these problems

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Pitot vs. Hot Wire Comparison
Pitot Probe
Pitot tubes are a standard:
• Differential pressure meters ( ∆ )
• Easy to use
• Robust
• Intrusive to flow
• Low frequency response
• Do not respond to fluctuations in
velocity, hence unable to measure
turbulence.
• Difficult to measure low velocity
ME 123: Mechanical Engineering Lab II: Fluids
Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
Hot Wire Anemometer
Hot wire anemometers need more care
when integrating into an experiment, but:
• Small wires yield high spatial resolution
• Good signal sensitivity… small velocities
can be monitored
• High frequency response… very capable
of monitoring turbulence
• Still intrusive BUT creates smaller flow
disturbances
• Can detect flow direction more accurately
• Needs calibration
• Can break easily!!!
• Fails in hostile environments
(combustion)
3
 Turbulent Velocity
• Recall our Reynolds decomposition relation Reynolds decomposition of velocity:
, = + ′( , )
• The mean value of our measurements give us and are
normally quite easy to acquire
• How do we quantify the turbulent fluctuations?
absolute mean velocity
1 velocity velocity fluctuation
Mean velocity: =

1
Average of the squared =
velocities:

Square of average 1
velocity: ( ) = ( )

Note that ≠ ( ) !!!!

Variance: = −

Standard deviation: =

represents an RMS value of fluctuating velocity in time and is a measure of the turbulent velocity
contribution in the flow at that measurement point

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Turbulent Velocity
t [s] u [m/s] u2
1
2
10
9
100
81
As an example Reynolds decomposition of velocity:
, = + ′( , )
3 8 64
4
5
9
10
81
100
= 9.9 m/s
6 12 144
7
8
8
11
64
121
( ) = 98.01 m2/s2 absolute mean velocity
9 9 81 velocity velocity fluctuation
10
11
10
11
100
121
= 99.50 m2/s2
= − = 1.49 m2/s2
12 9 81
13 11 121
14 10 100

= = 1.22 m/s
15 8 64
16 12 144
17 11 121
18 10 100 14
19 9 81
20
21
11
10
121
100
Note that ≠ ( ) !!!! 12
22 9 81
23 8 64 10
24 9 81

Velocity [m/s]
25 10 100
26 12 144 8
27 8 64
28 11 121 6
29 9 81
30 10 100
31 11 121 4
32 9 81
33 11 121 2
34 10 100
35 8 64
36 12 144 0
37 11 121 0 10 20 30 40
38 10 100 Time [s]
39 9 81
40 11 121

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Turbulent Velocity
Reynolds decomposition of velocity:
• Mean velocity was all we could access with Pitot probe
connected via manometer , = + ′( , )
• Moreover, low velocity was hard to track with Pitot
method absolute mean velocity
• Recall, kinetic energy drops as you go in the x-direction velocity velocity fluctuation
due to turbulent energy increase
• If turbulent kinetic energy can be measured, then it
should hold true that the total KE is constant in the axial
direction:
. ,
( , *, +)
)( ) = ( , *, +) * * + ≠ const
-, 2 ( )

BUT
. ,
, *, +
) = , *, + * * +
-, 2
. ,
( , *, +)
+ ( , *, +) * * + = const
-, 2

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
Imagine a heated cylinder in a fluid flow of density and velocity 3. The diameter of the cylinder is
small enough to assume that it will not perturb the flow.

In 1914, King derived a solution for the heat transfer from an infinite cylinder in an incompressible
low Reynolds number flow that may be written as:

Nu = 6 + 7Re: Eq. (1)

Where Nu is the non-dimensional Nusselt number and is defined as the ratio of convective to
conductive heat transfer:

convective heat transfer ≡ convective heat transfer coefficient

Nu = =
; conductive heat transfer ; ≡ conductive heat transfer coefficient

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry

• Now consider this rod being a thin wire mounted to supports and exposed to a velocity 3

• When a current is passed through the wire, heat is generated (D EF ). Typical practice is that the
wire temperature is higher than the fluid temperature.

• In equilibrium, this must be balanced by heat loss (primarily convective) to the surroundings

• If velocity changes, convective heat transfer will change and eventually reach a new equilibrium.

• How can we take advantage of this?

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry

G
Let’s start with a governing equation: =J−L

G ≡ thermal energy stored in the wire:

G = HF I
HF ≡ heat capacity of wire

J ≡ power generated by Joule heating

J = D EF
note that EF = K( F)

L = heat transferred to surroundings

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
3

Heat transferred to surroundings:

M =convection to fluid + conduction to supports + radiation to surroundings

Convection: Conduction:

NOP:U =K( F , DF , ;F , I VVPWXI )

NOP:Q = h ∙ 6F ( F − S)

convective heat transfer

Nu = =
;T conductive heat transfer Radiation:

NWSU =K( F , T , 6F , Y)

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
3

For equilibrium conditions the heat storage is zero and the Joule heating equals the convective heat
transfer:
G
= 0 ∴ J = NOP:Q
Assuming:
• Small radiation losses
• Conduction to wire supports is small
• F uniform over length of sensor
• Velocity impinges normally on wire, and is uniform over its entire length and is small
compared to sonic velocity, [
• Constant fluid temperature and density

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
3

Static Heat Transfer:

power generated by Joule heating = heat transferred to surroundings
J=L
D EF = 6F ( F − S)
Nu;T
D EF = 6F ( F − S)
Forced convection regime:
:
3
“King’s Law” Nu = 6′ + 7′ ∙ Re: = 6′ + 7 ∙ = 6 + 7 ∙ 3 ]^ 6′, 7′, _, 6 , 6 ,
\
and H are all
Substituting: ;T constants
D EF = 6F ( F − S) 6 + 7 ∙ 3 ]^

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry

;T
D EF = 6F ( F − S) 6 + 7 ∙ 3 ]^

• The voltage drop, `, is defined as: ` = DEF or ` = D EF

;T
` = D EF ` = EF 6F ( F − S) 6 + 7 ∙ 3 ]^ Eq. (2)

• Equation 2 is a direct relation between voltage drop and velocity of the fluid flow.

• However, it seems as there are many parameters to measure and calibrate!

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
Hot Wire Probes
Two probe families exist
Constant Current Constant Temperature
Current through wire is kept constant Temperature of wire is kept constant

Advantages: Advantages:
• High frequency response • Easy to use
• Higher frequency response (thermal
inertia effect significantly reduced)
Disadvantages: • Low noise
• Difficult to use • Accepted standard
• Output decreases with velocity
Disadvantages:
• Risk of probe burnout (small wire failure!)
• More complicated circuitry

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
VELOCITY CALIBRATION
;T
Revisiting Eq. (2) ` = EF 6F ( F − S) 6 + 7 ∙ 3 ]^

constant
• For the constant temperature anemometer we are working in an ideal environment where ;T , ,, 6F ,
F , S , EF are all constant. (EF is constant because F is constant!)

• If we collapse all constant values on the left into the constant parameters within the right hand side
parentheses we have the following much simpler form:

` = 6 + 7 ∙ 3]

• The exponent H is normally taken to be 0.5 as industry standard, thus:

` =6+7∙3 .a Eq. (3)

• Even with the extensive work done with hot wires there is no universal expression to describe
heat transfer from the hot wire to the flow to define 6 and 7

• Thus, for all measurements direct calibration of the anemometer is necessary

• This is not difficult provided that an environment with a range of known velocities can be
provided
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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
VELOCITY CALIBRATION

` =6+7∙3 .a Eq. (3)

• Sufficient number of data points should be made

• Using a non-linear regression fit modeled to the

above equation one can easily extract constants 6
and 7

• Alternatively you can plot ` vs. 3 .a

and perform
a linear fit

• The slope of the linear fit will give you B and the
intercept of the fit will give you A

• With these values known rearrange the equation

above to solve for velocity at a function of
potential drop across the wire.

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
Hot Wire Probes

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
Hot Wire Probes

Many probe types exist to measure various directions and fluid flow types

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
Hot Wire Probes
But all probes are quite small in general. This is done for three primary reasons:
1) high measurement spatial resolution
2) high sensitivity to flow fluctuations
3) be as non-intrusive to the flow as possible

Wires are microns thick and

very delicate!!!!
Extreme care must be taken
when handling hot wire
probes!!!!

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
Directional Dependence

` =6+7∙3 .a

• In the given coordinate system, flow can only be

measured in the b- and -directions
• Flow in c-direction cannot be measured
• Determination of direction using a single wire
probe can be done knowing this
• Rotate the probe in the flow.
• Orient fiber to achieve maximum signal
• In the orientation the fiber is perpendicular to the
flow direction

• Care must be taken when measuring flow in our d-direction!

• Probe wire must be perpendicular to bulk velocity direction!

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Hot Wire Anemometry
Directional Dependence

Three dimensional flow components can be

measured if probe wires are oriented at
appropriate known angles.

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Experiment

Step One: Calibration

• First task is to acquire data to calibrate the hotwire which will be done by the lab instructor.

• Each lab group will use this calibration data collectively.

• Set the hot wire probe at the jet center (c = 0)

• Mean hot wire voltage output will be recorded at an array of /e values (1, 3, 7, 10, 15, 20, max)
where velocities are know (from previous lab with Pitot probe measurements)

• This data will be used to acquire calibration constants 6 and 7 as described on slide 15.

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Experiment

Step Two: Velocity Profiles

• To be done by each group individually

• Take velocity profiles at 2 locations (minimum) at /e = 15 and at the /e system limit.

• At each point you will record a 2+ second interval of data which is sufficient to extract both a
velocity mean, ,and standard deviation/RMS fluctuation,

• These two /e survey locations (and any additional you choose to take) will correspond with Pitot
survey locations from the previous lab

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Data Reduction

Convert Voltage to Velocity

• Again, with the calibration data given to you by the lab instructor, you will perform a King’s law fit to
determine parameters 6 and 7.

• With this fit you now will have a direct relation between voltage wire drop and air velocity

• Convert all voltages into velocity

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Data Reduction

Calculate Mean and RMS velocity

• For each spatial measurement point calculate mean velocity and RMS velocity for all data points

• Calculate the mass flux at each /e with hot wire data . ,

gh( ) = * * +
-,
• Calculate the momentum flux at each /e with hot wire data
. ,
f( ) = ( , *, +)* * +
• Calculate the kinetic energy flux at each /e with hot wire data -,

. ,
( , *, +)
)( ) = ( , *, +) * * +
-, 2

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Analysis

• You will compare your hot wire velocity surveys with Pitot velocity surveys from last lab

• Show that profiles are self similar with the same method as the Pitot lab

• Illustrate that kinetic energy is conserved when turbulent energy correction is made
GXPX = Gij: + Gj:X Internal energy + kinetic energy is conserved!

Turbulent energy will grow depleting the initial mean kinetic energy, but viscous
dissipation of energy is converting KE into heat

• Keep in mind that your goal is to not only understand the hot wire anemometry technique but
also to address and understand the shortcomings with Pitot measurements in turbulent flow
environments (see problems addressed on slides 2 and 3!)

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Analysis

Plots

• Plot vs. for hot wire and corresponding /e from Pitot

• gh vs. for all /e (Pitot and hot wire)

• f vs. for all /e (Pitot and hot wire)

• ) vs. for all /e (Pitot and hot wire)

• /3kSl vs. c/ for all /e with theory trend lines (Pitot and hot wire)

• /3kSl vs. c/ for all /e (hot wire)

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Analysis
0.3
40
0.25

Mass Flow [kg/s]

30 0.2
Umax [m/s]
0.15
20
0.1
10
0.05

0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 5 10 15 20 25
1/x [m-1] x/D [-]

50 2
x/D = 1
40 x/D = 3

Momentum [kg-m/s]
x/D = 5 1.5

30 x/D = 7
u [m/s]

x/D = 15 1
x/D = 22
20

0.5
10

0 0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0 5 10 15 20 25
δ [m] x/D [-]

35
1
30

Mean Kinetic Energy

0.8
25
u/Umax [-]

0.6 20

15
0.4
10
0.2
5

0 0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0 5 10 15 20 25
y/x [-] x/D [-]

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 Analysis
r = 0 mm
30
5.5 Calibration Points
20 Linear Fit

u [m/s]
10 5

(Mean Voltage)2
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
time [s]
4.5
r = 30 mm
30

20

u [m/s]
4
10

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 3.5
3 4 5 6 7
time [s] 1/2
r = 60 mm (Velocity)
30 18
Mean Velocity
16
20 Turbulent RMS Velocity
u [m/s]

14
10
12
0

ubar [m/s]
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 10
time [s]
r = 120 mm 8
30
6
20
r [mm]

4
10
2
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 0
0 50 100 150
time [s]
r [mm]

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry
 References

1. “Probes for Hot-wire Anemometry,” Publication No.: 238 v9, Dantec Dynamics (www.dantecdynamics.com)
2. D.G. Fletcher, et al., “Measurement Techniques in Fluid Dynamics,” von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, 2nd
Revised Edition

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Laboratory 6: Hot Wire Anemometry