Numerical and Experimental Analyses of a Hot-Wire Gas Flowmeter

A measurement device for gas flow rate using hot-wire module is developed for the utilization in low-accuracy industrial applications. The module has three wires of measuring and heating, and a bridge circuit is installed to detect electric current through the wire in the module. An amplification of the signal and conversion to digital output are conducted for the online measurement with a personal computer. In addition, temperature distribution in the module is numerically analyzed to examine the measured outcome from the module experiment. The flow rate of air and carbon dioxide gas is separately measured for the performance examination of the device. The experimental relation of measurement and flow agrees with the prediction from the numerical analysis. The outcome of the performance test indicates that the accuracy and reproducibility of the module is satisfactory for the purpose of industrial applications.