Flow Rate Measurements Using Flow-Induced Pipe Vibration

Abstract

This paper investigates the possibility of developing a nonintrusive, low-cost, flow-rate measurement technique. The technique is based on signal noise from an accelerometer attached to the surface of the pipe. The signal noise is defined as the standard deviation of the frequency-averaged time-series signal. Experimental results are presented that indicate a nearly quadratic relationship over the test region between the signal noise and flow rate in the pipe. It is also shown that the signal noise–flow rate relationship is dependent on the pipe material and diameter.