Passive simulation method of turbine flow sensors based on the 6-DOF model

A passive simulation method based on the six degrees of freedom(6-DOF)model and dynamic mesh is proposed according to the working principle to study the dynamic characteristics of the turbine flow sensors.This simulation method controls the six degrees of freedom of the impeller using the user-defined functions(UDF)program so that it can only rotate under the impact of fluid.The impeller speed can be calculated in real-time,and the inlet speed can be set with time to obtain the dynamic performance of the turbine flow sensors.Based on this simulation method,three turbine flow sensors with different diameters were simulated,and the reliability of the simulation method was verified by both steady-state and unsteady-state experiments.The results show that the trend of meter factor with flow rate acquired from the simulation is close to the experimental results.The deviation between the simulation and experiment results is low,with a maximum deviation of 2.88%.In the unsteady simulation study,the impeller speed changed with the inlet velocity of the turbine flow sensor,showing good tracking performance.The passive simulation method can be used to predict the dynamic performance of the turbine flow sensor.

Fish Lateral Line Inspired Flow Sensors and Flow-aided Control: A Review

Any phenomenon in nature is potential to be an inspiration for us to propose new ideas.Lateral line is a typical example which has attracted more interest in recent years.With the aid of lateral line,fish is capable of acquiring fluid information around,which is of great significance for them to survive,communicate and hunt underwater.In this paper,we briefly introduce the morphology and mechanism of the lateral line first.Then we focus on the development of artificial lateral line which typically consists of an array of sensors and can be installed on underwater robots.A series of sensors inspired by the lateral line with different sensing principles have been summarized.And then the applications of artificial lateral line systems in hydrodynamic environment sensing and vortices detection,dipole oscillation source detection,and autonomous control of underwater robots have been reviewed.In addition,the existing problems and future foci in this field have been further discussed in detail.The current works and future foci have demonstrated that artificial lateral line has great potentials of applications and contributes to the development of underwater robots.

Blade Shape Optimization of Liquid Turbine Flow Sensor

Based on the characteristic curve analysis, the method using D(K^2) square difference of meter factor at different flow rates was developed to evaluate the performance of turbine flow sensor in this study. Then according to the distribution of entrance velocity, it was supposed that reducing the blade area near the tip could decrease the linearity error of a sensor. Therefore, the influence of different blade shape parameters on the performance of the sensor was investigated by combining computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation with experimental test. The experimental results showed that, for the liquid turbine flow sensor with a diameter of 10 mm, the linearity error was smallest, and the performance of sensor was optimal when blade shape parameter equaled 0.25.

A 2-Dimensional Micro Flow Sensor with Wide Range Flow Sensing Properties

A new silicon micro flow sensor with multiple temperature sensing elements was proposed and numerically simulated in considering wide range flow measuring properties.The micro flow sensor has three pairs of temperature sensing elements with a central heater compared with typical sensor which has only a temperature sensing element on each side of a central heater.A numerical analysis of the micro flow sensor by Finite Difference Formulation for Heat Transfer Equation was performed.The nearest pair of temperature sensor showed very good linear sensitivity between 0 to 0.4m/s flow and saturated from 0.75m/s flow.However the furthest pair of temperature sensor showed some flow sensitivity even though the flow rate of 2.0m/s.Thus,this suggested new micro flow meter with multiple temperature sensing elements could be used as a thermal mass flow sensor which has accuracy sensitivity for very wide flow range.

A Combined Numerical-Experimental Study on the Noise Power Spectrum Produced by an Electromagnetic Sensor for Slurry Flow

The signals generated by electromagnetic flow sensors used for slurry fluids are often affected by noise interference produced by interaction with the slurry itself.In this study,the power spectrum characteristics of the signal are studied,and an attempt is made to determine the relationship between the characteristics of the related noise and the velocity and concentration of the slurry fluid.Dedicated experiments are conducted and the related power spectrum curve is obtained processing the signal measured by the sensor with Matlab.Numerical simulations are also carried out in the frame of an Eulerian approach in order get additional insights into the considered problem through comparison with the experimental results.The following conclusions are drawn:(1)The intensity of noise is directly proportional to the number of solid particles colliding with the electrode of the electromagnetic flow sensor per unit time,and to the square of the average velocity of the flow layer near the pipe wall.(2)With an increase in the slurry noise intensity,the power spectrum curve shifts upward in the logarithmic coordinate system(and vice versa).

Polymer-Based Micro Flow Sensor with Alternative Electronic Signal Interfaces for Low and High Flow Rates

The qualitative and quantitative assessment of gas flow has become increasingly relevant in the use of everyday systems. The micro flow sensor, developed by Innovative Sensor Technology AG （Switzerland）, is by principle a calorimetric flow sensor produced as a micro system on a glass substrate by means of photolithography and glass etching technology. These structures are arranged as a platinum micro heater and sensor in a Wheatstone bridge. The subsequent etching process produces an exposed area of polyimide membrane that is only a few microns thick and includes the resistive sensor structure as the active area. In addition, the RTD （resistance temperature detector） technology included on the sensor allows for the implementation of a variety of electronic biasing and signal processing modes. Since the sensor can be powered and the bridge can be measured in both CTA （constant temperature anemometer） and calorimetric mode, new possibilities are presented for both low and high flow rates with regard to temperature compensation, self-calibration and self-monitoring.

Simulation Method of Dynamic Characteristics of Turbine Flow Sensor

Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)simulation is one of the important methods to study the performance and influencing factors of turbine flow sensors.According to the working characteristics of the turbine flow sensor,the passive simulation method based on the six degrees of freedom(6-DOF)model and dynamic mesh is proposed in this paper.The reliability of the simulation method is verified by steady-state experiments and unsteady-state experiments.The results show that the trend of meter factor with flow rate acquired from the simulation is close to the experimental results,and the deviation between the simulation result and the experiment result is low with a maximum deviation of 2.88%.In the unsteady simulation study,the impeller speed changes with the inlet velocity of the turbine flow sensor,which has a good follow-up.The passive simulation method can be used to predict the dynamic performance of the turbine flow sensor.

Chemiluminescence flow Sensor for determination of the Ammonium ion

A novel chemiluminescence (CL) sensor for NH4+ combined with flow injection analysis is presented in this paper. It is based on the inhibition effect of NH4+ on the CL reaction between luminol, immobilized electrostatically on an anion-exchange column, and hypochlorous acid electrogenerated on-line. The sensor responds linearly to NH4+ concentration in 1.0x10(-6)-4.0x10(-9) g/ml range. A complete analysis could be performed in 1 min. The system is stable for 200 determination.

Design of Digital Solar Water Pump Using Microcontroller ATmega 32

This paper focuses on the application of solar energy along with microcontrollers to design and run a motor to pump water from various sources.The solar water pump is one of the applications or appliance that perform task with the use of solar radiation.The solar water pump consists of solar PV array,solar pump,inverter,AC water pumping device etc.Solar energy radiation is converted in electrical current or power source which is then used to run a pump and draw water directly from ground,wells,rivers,lakes etc.In this paper,the relationship between flow rate of the water and luminous intensity of the solar irradiance is studied and the data are linearly fitted to find out the correlation between these parameters.Also the study about efficiency of the solar powered water pump shows that the operation of this type of pumping system is quite efficient than other types of fossil fuel engines like diesel,petrol,kerosene etc.in long run.The use of Arduino Uno,flow sensor,LDR sensors in the solar powered water pump helps to analyze the relation between these parameters and know the conditions favorable for excess supply of water in short time efficiently.These solar powered devices are the future of clean and green future of this world.Thus it is not only necessary but also compulsory to enhance the usage of solar energy throughout the globe.

Several Applications of MEMS in Fluid Area

In order to discuss the several applications of MEMS in fluid area,study the components of MEMS.And introduce the principles,types and applications based on flow sensor and pressure sensor. In the last,discuss the problems when the sensors was applied in the fluid areas.

Design and Implementation of an Ultrasonic Heat Meter Based on MSP430F437

Flowing with the reform of the hot water heating method in China, heat meter will enter into households in the near future. A portable ultrasonic heat meter is designed in this paper. The meter uses chip microprocessor MSP430F437 as the data process core, and uses ultrasonic flow sensor to measure flow rate of the hot water, and capture input and output temperatures of the hot water using the thermal resistance sensor Ptl000, and then household energy consumption is calculated via temperature difference between input temperature and output temperature of the hot water multiplied by volume of hot water that is calculated though flow rate integration of hot water. In order to test the performance of the proposed heat meter, experiments is carried out. Both the temperature and flow measurement results satisfy the requirements of accuracy and the heat meter is effective in the heat measurement.

Development and optimization of a novel grain flow sensor based on PVDF piezoelectric film

A novel grain flow sensor consists of an impact plate and a PVDF(Polyvinylidene Fluoride)piezoelectric film was developed in this research.The kinetic model of the grain flow sensor was built to analyze the steady and transient vibration disturbances which had a significant influence on performance of the sensor,and the results showed that damping ratio of the sensor was the key factor to improve accuracy of the sensor.To maximize damping ratio of the sensor,the thickness of the impact plate and damping material were optimized according to a loss factor model of the free damping structure.The optimized results indicated the most appropriate thickness ratio of damping material and the impact plate was 6.A test rig equipped with the novel grain flow sensor and weight sensors which could simulate field situations was built to investigate the performance of the sensor,on which test experiments under different feed flows were conducted.The results showed that the maximum error of the sensor was 3.02%and the mean error was 2.15%,which revealed that the novel grain flow sensor could be used to measure grain flow.Comparing with conventional grain flow sensors,the novel grain flow sensor has the features of high accuracy,simple structure and flexible signal processing methods.

Research on One-Piece Structure Target Flow Sensing Technology Based on Fiber Bragg Grating

In view of problems existing in the detection of the traditional hydraulic system, such as the large volume of sensor and the low measurement accuracy, a new one-piece target type flow sensor is designed and researched based on fiber Bragg grating （FBG）. A compact structure is designed, which is convenient to be dismantled, processed, and installed, based on the analysis of the principle of FBG and the structure of target type flow sensor. The force of target put in fluid flow is turned into the FBG wavelength drift, with a corresponding relationship. The problem on the cross sensitivities of the temperature and strain is solved effectively by using double FBG symmetrically pasted on the both surfaces of the cantilever. The impact on the fluid state is analyzed through simulation in the software FLUENT, and the results show that the impact was smaller than that of the traditional structure. The results of experiments in the hydraulic system show that there is a good linear relationship between the change in the dual FBG central wavelength and mass loading on the target sheet has a good linear relationship, and the sensitivity is twice that of a single FBG sensitivity.

Effect of particle degradation on electrostatic sensor measurements and flow characteristics in dilute pneumatic conveying

Vigorous particle collisions and mechanical processes occurring during high-velocity pneumatic con- veying often lead to particle degradation. The resulting particle size reduction and particle number increase will impact on the flow characteristics, and subsequently affect the electrostatic type of flow measurements. This study investigates this phenomenon using both experimental and numerical meth- ods. Particle degradation was induced experimentally by recursively conveying the fillite material within a pneumatic pipeline. The associated particle size reduction was monitored. Three electrostatic sensors were embedded along the pipeline to monitor the flow. The results indicated a decreasing trend in the electrostatic sensor outputs with decreasing particle size, which suggested the attenuation of the flow velocity fluctuation. This trend was more apparent at higher conveying velocities, which suggested that more severe particle degradation occurred under these conditions. Coupled computational fluid dynamics and discrete element methods （CFD-DEM） analysis was used to qualitatively validate these experimental results. The numerical results suggested that smaller particles exhibited lower flow velocity fluctua- tions, which was consistent with the observed experimental results. These findings provide important information for the accurate aoolication of electrostatic measurement devices in oneumatic conveyors.

Influence of vibration on the grain flow sensor during the harvest and the difference elimination method

The grain yield data collected by the intelligent yield measurement system of the combine harvester is generated into a field plot yield distribution map,which is of great significance for guiding agricultural production.However,in the process of drawing the yield map,the combine harvester is affected by vibration during operation and the generated error data in the process of collecting data which will cause the drawing results to be inaccurate.This study researched two factors that cause errors,then,the influence of vibration interference on the measurement signal was eliminated by filtering,vibration isolation,and designing a double-plates differential grain flow sensor.Three methods were taken to eliminate random errors,gross errors and systematic errors,including using the arithmetic average value to replace the true value,the 3σcriterion,and removing the filling time data and the delaying time data.Finally,the grain yield distribution map was obtained through Matlab and Excel.The results showed that the interference frequency above 50 Hz could be eliminated by filtering,but it was difficult to filter the low-frequency signal which was close to the grain impact frequency.The vibration amplitude was reduced to 14.29%by adding a vibration isolation plate,and the SNR was increased from−4.67 dB to 29.21 dB by combining low-pass filtering and damping vibration isolation.When the grain feeding rate was 2 kg/s,the natural vibration amplitude of the sensor after difference was about 0.02 V and evenly distributed around the zero voltage 0.2 V.The influence of positive and negative offset on the average value of grain impact signal could be ignored,and the signal-to-noise ratio was increased from 29.21 dB to 62.49 dB.The results of field experiments showed that the yield map drawn can clearly display the yield value of the harvest area,which is used to guide agricultural production.

Flexible micro flow sensor for micro aerial vehicles

This article summarizes our studies on micro flow sensors fabricated on a flexible polyimide circuit board by a low-cost hybrid process of thin-film deposition and circuit printing. The micro flow sensor has merits of flexibility, structural simplicity, easy integrability with circuits, and good sensing performance. The sensor, which adheres to an object surface, can detect the surface flow around the object. In our study, we install the fabricated micro flow sensors on micro aerial vehicles （MAVs） to detect the surface flow variation around the aircraft wing and deduce the aerodynamic parameters of the MAVs in flight. Wind tunnel experiments using the sensors integrated with the MAVs are also conducted.

Experimental measurements of gas-solid flow and splitting mechanisms of a coal pipe splitter with a perpendicularly arranged upstream elbow

The effect of the vertical pipe length on the performance of a coal pipe splitter with a perpendicularly arranged upstream elbow was investigated experimentally employing a fiber optic measuring system. The upstream elbow and coal pipe splitter were installed in two perpendicular planes. Contours of dis- tributions of the particle concentration and size were obtained in different transverse sections. The experimental data show that the maximum/minimum concentration ratio in transverse sections A, B, and C decreased rapidly as the length of the vertical pipe increased. The left/right-leg average concentration ratio remained about 1, and a balanced split was thus achieved. With a perpendicularly arranged upstream elbow, the vertical pipe length had little effect on the splitter performance, which is beneficial for engineering design and convenient for industrial application.

Exquisite structure of the lateral line system in eyeless cavefish Sinocyclocheilus tianlinensis contrast to eyed Sinocyclocheilus macrophthalmus(Cypriniformes:Cyprinidae)

In this study,the lateral line systems in Chinese cavefish eyeless Sinocyclocheilus tianlinensis and eyed Sinocyclocheilus macrophthalmus were investigated to reveal their morphological changes to survive in harsh environments.Compared with the eyed cavefish S.macrophthalmus(atypical),the lateral line system in the eyeless cave-fish S.tianlinensis(typical)has certain features to adapt to the dark cave environments:the superficial lateral line system in the eyeless species possesses a higher number of superficial neuromasts and more hair cells within an individual neuromast,and the trunk lateral line canal system in S.tianlinensis exhibits larger canal pores,higher canal diameter and more pronounced constrictions.Fluid–structure interaction analysis suggested that the trunk lateral line canal system in the eyeless S.tianlinensis should be more sensitive than that in the eyed S.macrophthalmus.These morphological features of the lateral line system in the eyeless S.tianlinensis probably enhance the functioning of the lateral line system and compensate for the lack of eyes.The revelation of the form–function relationship in the cavefish lateral line system provides inspiration for the design of sensitive artificial flow sensors.

Hydrodynamic Perception Using an Artificial Lateral Line Device with an Optimized Constriction Canal

To perform flow-related behaviors in darkness,blind cavefish have evolved Lateral Line Systems(LLSs)with constriction canals to enhance hydrodynamic sensing capabilities.Mimicking the design principles,we developed a Canal-type Artificial Lateral Line(CALL)device featuring a biomimetic constriction canal.The hydrodynamic characterization results revealed that the sensitivity of the canal LLS increases with the decrease in the width(from 1 mm to 0.6 mm)and length(from 3 mm to 1 mm)of the constriction canal,which is in accordance with the modeling results of canal mechanics.The CALL device was characterized in Kármán vortex streets generated by a cylinder in a laminar flow.The CALL device was able to identify the diameter of the cylinder,with a mean identification error of approximately 2.5%.It also demonstrated the identification ability of wake width using the CALL device,indicating the potential for application in hydrodynamic perception.

Particle Measurement Sensor for in situ determination of phase structure of fluidized bed

Based on three-dimensional （3D） acceleration sensing, an intelligent particle spy capable of detecting, transferring, and storing data, is proposed under the name of Particle Measurement Sensor （PMS）. A prototype 60-mm-dia PMS was tested to track its freefall in terms of velocity and displacement, and served as a particle spy in a fluidized bed delivering the in situ acceleration information it detects. With increasing superficial gas velocity in the fluidized bed, the acceleration felt by PMS was observed to increase. The variance of the signals, which reflect the fluctuation, increased at first, reaching a maximum at the gas velocity （Uc） which marks the transition from bubbling to turbulent fluidization. Through probability density distribution （PDD） analysis, the PDD peak can be divided into the emulsion phase peak and the bubble phase peak. The average acceleration of emulsion and bubble phase increased, while the variance of both phases reached a maximum at Uc, at the same time. However, the difference between the variances of two phases reached the maximum at Uc. Findings of this study indicate that PMS can record independent in situ information. Further, it can provide other in situ measurements when equipped with additional multi-functional sensors.