Improving the Measurement of Air–Water Flow Properties Using Remote Distance Sensing Technology

Abstract

In recent years, the research interest in the application of remote sensing technology to highly aerated flows has been increasing because this technology holds the ultimate promise to enable safe and accurate measurements of real-world air–water flows in natural and human-made environments. Despite the increasing number of publications, some fundamental questions, such as “what do we measure” or “what can we measure,” have not been answered conclusively. In this study, we hypothesize that laser distance sensors can measure the concentration of entrapped air, which we demonstrate using two seminal air–water flow types, namely a submerged hydraulic jump and flows down a stepped spillway. By converting our free-surface signals into time series of instantaneous air concentrations, we also show that a dual laser triangulation setup enables the extraction of basic air–water flow parameters of the upper flow region, comprising interface count rates, interfacial velocities, and turbulence levels, whereas we acknowledge that some sensor characteristics, such as beam diameters, can lead to measurement biases. Overall, this study represents a major advancement in the remote measurement of air–water flow properties. Future collective research effort is required to overcome remaining challenges.