anemometer

Definition:
An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station
instrument. The term is derived from the Greek word anemos, meaning wind. The first
known description of an anemometer was given by Leon Battista Alberti around 1450.[1]
They are also very easy to make as a project. Anemometers can be divided into two classes:
those that measure the wind's speed, and those that measure the wind's pressure; but as
there is a close connection between the pressure and the speed, an anemometer designed
for one will give information about both

Work and type:

There are several different types of anemometers and each one functions slightly differently.
How an individual anemometer works to measure wind speed and sometimes direction is
based on what type it is

The basic classification of anemometers depends on the measurement of the velocity of

wind and measurement of pressure of the wind. The 5 major types of anemometer are:

Anemometer wind speed:

 Cup anemometer : Many weather sensors employ a three-cup configuration which
spins on a horizontal plane as wind passes through it. The horizontally-arranged
three-cup design works extremely well because it can measure wind speed no matter
what direction the wind it is coming from. Testing has shown over the decades that
three-cup designs generate a higher and more consistent amount of torque, and
respond to wind gusts more quickly than other cup configurations. In addition,
aerodynamically-optimized cups capture the maximum-possible amount of wind
force on the open side, propelling the cup forward, while the streamlined front of the
cup slices through air as it goes through its rotation. The wind cups also offer a

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 dual bearing design to eliminate shaft flex and wobble, which can compromise
accuracy.As the wind cups spin, they turn a small drive shaft with a magnet
positioned at the bottom end. The magnet passes over an electrical sensor called
a reed switch. When exposed to a magnetic field, two tiny metal reeds are joined
together, completing an electrical circuit. Each time the circuit is completed, an
electrical impulse will be sent to a digital processor. Based on the frequency of the
impulse, the processor can calculate a wind speed reading.

 Hotwire anemometer: This consists of thin wire which is heated up to a certain

temperature slightly more than atmospheric temperature. The wire cools as the air
flows past the wire. To calculate the velocity, the relation between the resistance of the
wire and the velocity of the wind must be obtained as most metal’s resistance depends
on the temperature of the metal. These find applications in HVAC (heating, ventilating
and air conditioning) businesses measuring the airflow through the building ducts.
 Windmill anemometer: This is a mechanical device similar to the regular windmill used
to calculate the velocity of the wind. It consists of the axis of rotation running parallel to
the direction of the wind. It also has an aerovane as the direction of the wind is not
constant helping the axis change the direction. The aerovane consists of a propeller and
a tail to obtain precise wind speed and direction measurements.
 Laser Doppler anemometer: A beam of light is used which is further split into two
beams. The velocity is determined by calculating the amount of light that has been
reflected off by the moving air particles when one of the two beams is made to enter the
anemometer. These find applications in high-tech jet engines and also in river hydrology.
 Sonic anemometer: Sound waves are used to obtain the speed of the wind. These
waves are made to pass through the transducer. These find applications in aircraft and
scientific wind turbines

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Pressure anemometers
Plate anemometers:
These are the first modern anemometers. They consist of a flat plate suspended from the
top so that the wind deflects the plate. In 1450, the Italian art architect Leon Battista Alberti
invented the first mechanical anemometer; in 1664 it was re-invented by Robert Hooke
(who is often mistakenly considered the inventor of the first anemometer). Later versions of
this form consisted of a flat plate, either square or circular, which is kept normal to the wind
by a wind vane. The pressure of the wind on its face is balanced by a spring. The
compression of the spring determines the actual force which the wind is exerting on the
plate, and this is either read off on a suitable gauge, or on a recorder. Instruments of this
kind do not respond to light winds, are inaccurate for high wind readings, and are slow at
responding to variable winds. Plate anemometers have been used to trigger high wind
alarms on bridges

Pitot tube static anemometers:

Modern tube anemometers use the same principle as in the Dines anemometer but using a
different design. The implementation uses a pitot-static tube which is a pitot tube with two
ports, pitot and static, that is normally used in measuring the airspeed of aircraft. The pitot
port measures the dynamic pressure of the open mouth of a tube with pointed head facing
wind, and the static port measures the static pressure from small holes along the side on
that tube. The pitot tube is connected to a tail so that it always makes the tube's head to
face the wind. Additionally, the tube is heated to prevent rime ice formation on the
tube.[10] There are two lines from the tube down to the devices to measure the difference in
pressure of the two lines. The measurement devices can be manometers, pressure
transducers, or analog chart recorders

Specialty Anemometers for indoor and outdoor usage:

Anemometers come with different uses in mind but most handheld wind speed monitors are
fairly rugged and most mountable anemometers tend to be weatherproof.

Some anemometers are easy to take with you wherever you go, and others come as part of
wireless weather stations that you can place in your backyard and read off an indoor
monitor. Additionally some handheld anemometers are compact for portable use and others
have long cables for mounting purposes. Still others are designed to be mounted on boats.
Some anemometers are better for HVAC installation or repair uses and others still like hot
wire air velocity meters are great for measuring the air flow that may be coming in from a
drafty door or window. Many anemometers today connect to an app on your smartphone or
tablet as well

Calculate the speed:

Calculate the distance the reference cup will travel to revolve around the axis once by taking
the length of its rod from the axis, doubling it and multiplying by the value of pi. (This is the
formula for finding the circumference of a circle from its radius.) Convert this distance to
either feet or meters for convenience.

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Count the number of times the reference cup makes a complete revolution around the axis
in a minute.

Multiply the distance traveled in one revolution by the number of times the reference cup
revolved around the axis. This will produce an approximate wind speed in feet per minute or
meters per minute.

Convert this value to distance per hour by multiplying by 60. If the distance is measured in
feet, divide by 5,280 to produce an approximate wind speed in miles per hour. If the
distance is measured in meters, divide by 1,000 to produce an approximate wind speed in
kilometers per hour.

Convert Kilometers to Hours :

Kilometers are used as a unit of distance in the majority of countries worldwide, including
Europe but excluding the United States. The conversion of the distance to the time in hours
is the very common task, since it allows you to estimate travel time. You need to know the
average speed of your car for the trip to make that conversion.

1/ Convert Miles to Kilometers:

Multiply the distance, if given in miles, by the factor 1.609 to convert to kilometers. For
example, 86 miles converts to 86 x 1.609 or 138.374 kilometers.

2/ Convert Miles per Hour to Kilometers per Hour:

Convert the speed from miles per hour to kilometers per hour. If the speed is given in miles
per hour, then multiply by 1.609. If the speed is measured in meters per second (m/s),
multiply by 3.6. For example, the speed of 15 m/s corresponds to 15 x 3.6 or 54
km/h

3/ Divide Distance by Speed:

Divide distance (in km) by the speed (in km/h) to calculate the time (in hours). In our
example, time is 138.374 km/ 54 km/h = 2.562 hours.

4/ Convert Fractions of Hours to Minutes :

Multiply the decimal portion of the number of hours by the value 60 to convert to
minutes. In our example, the decimal part 0.562; 0.562 x 60 = 33.72 min. After
rounding to 34 minutes, 2.562 h can be expressed as 2 hours and 34 minutes.

Effect of density on measurements:

In the tube anemometer the pressure is measured, although the scale is usually graduated
as a velocity scale. In cases where the density of the air is significantly different from the
calibration value (as on a high mountain, or with an exceptionally low barometer) an
allowance must be made. Approximately 1½% should be added to the velocity recorded by a
tube anemometer for each 1000 ft (5% for each kilometer) above sea-level.

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ERROR DETERMINATION OF ANEMOMETER SYSTEM:
After fabrication of whole cup shape anemometer, the system being tested and measure the
wind velocity sample with the help of wind tunnel which almost similar with the
methodology used other researchers [12]. The reading of wind speed measured by designed
anemometer is then compared with the Dwyer series 471 thermo-anemometer which
available in Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics Laboratory in School of Mechatronic
Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis. The results from both measuring equipments are
shown in Table V. From Table V, the designed anemometer not only able to be fabricate in
any workshop but also within an acceptable accuracy ranges with the operation
environment of 2 m/s – 6 m/s which is 3.23 % for mean absolute percentage error.

Uses Of Anemometer:
Other than measuring the speed of the wind, the anemometer is used for the following
purposes:

 To measure the wind pressure

 To measure the flow of the wind
 To measure the direction of the wind
 It is used by the drone users or RC plane users to check the weather conditions
before testing their devices
 Also used by long range shooters and pilots
 Used by skydivers to evaluate wind velocity before they leap into the abyss
 Used in aerodynamics to measure the airspeed
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