Design of a miniature optical-based velocity probe

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Title Design of a miniature optical-based velocity probe
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Engineering
Department Mechanical Engineering
Author Butterworth, Jacob
Date 2010-08
Description Anemometry is the measurement of wind force and velocity. Though anemom-etry technology is fairly well developed, many velocity measurement devices are expensive, large, and/or fragile. Due to these limitations, deploying large numbers of anemometers is difficult, and often unrealistic. The miniature optical-based velocity probe is a new instrument that o ers advantages over current state-of-the-art anemometers in terms of lower expense, lower power consumption and lighter weight. The probe consists of a high performance plastic optical ber, a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), and a position sensitive detector (PSD). Light transmitted by the VCSEL shines through the free end of the optical ber illuminating the surface of the PSD. A drag force, induced by an approach ow, causes the optical ber to de ect. The PSD measures the de ection of the optical ber and outputs an analog voltage, which can be directly related to velocity through a calibration curve. Equations for the de ection and natural frequency of the optical ber, along with numerical simulations in FLUENT were used to make key design decisions in order to optimize the probe to meet the target speci cations for atmospheric research. Preliminary calibration experiments show that the velocity probe has the potential to be a viable replacement for other research-quality anemometers.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Anemometry; Fluid; Measurement; Velocity probe; Velocity sensor; Optical-based
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Jacob Butterworth 2010
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 2,192,654 bytes
Source Original housed in Marriott Library Special Collections, TK7.5 2011 .B88
ARK ark:/87278/s60v8tj8
Setname ir_etd
ID 194652
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s60v8tj8
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