A Miniaturized 2D Solid State Anemometer Based on Thermal Flow Sensors

AbstractIn this work a compact wind velocity and direction sensor, based on properly probing the pressure distribution generated by the wind around a cylinder surface, is presented. The originality of the approach consists in a particular channel configuration capable of deriving a flow that varies with the wind direction according to a cosine function. Optimization of the channel structure has been performed by means of fluid-dynamic simulations. A prototype, consisting of two orthogonal sections, where the derived flow is read by integrated thermal flow meters, is described and the results discussed