Microprocessor Field Impactometer Calibration: Do We Measure Drops’ Momentum or Their Kinetic Energy?

Abstract

This study presents the construction and calibration of a low-cost piezoelectric microprocessor impactometer designed for the field measurements of the rainfall kinetic energy (KE) flux. Its precise calibration was performed in laboratory conditions using waterdrops of different sizes and fall velocities. High-speed photography was applied to measure the velocity of each waterdrop. Although the impactometer constructed for this study is not able to measure the momentum of waterdrops, its accuracy for measuring their KE is excellent. It was found that the processing of the piezoelectric signal might determine which physical quantity is measured by different impactometers. It was also found that the distance between the waterdrop impact position and the impactometer center has a significant effect on the sensor output. A scheme to account for this effect is developed in this study, and the calibration curve for field applications of the impactometer is derived. In addition, an example comparison of the concurrent field measurements of KE flux using the impactometer and rainfall rates using a weighing rain gauge is given.