A Pitot tube system for obtaining water velocity profiles with millimeter resolution in devices with limited optical access

An automated, miniature, S-type Pitot tube system was created to obtain fluid velocity profiles at low flows in equipment having limited optical access, which prevents the use of standard imaging techniques. Calibration of this non-standard Pitot tube at small differential pressures with a custom, low-pressure system is also described. Application of this system to a vertical, high-pressure, water tunnel facility (HWTF) is presented. The HWTF uses static flow conditioning elements to stabilize individual gaseous, liquid, or solid particles with water for optical viewing. Stabilization of these particles in the viewing section of the HWTF requires a specific flow field, created by a combination of a radially expanding test section and a special flow conditioner located upstream of the test section. Analysis of the conditioned flow field in the viewing section of the HWTF required measurements across its diameter at three locations at 1mm spatial resolution. The custom S-type Pitot tube system resolved pressure differences of <100Pa created by water flowing at 5–30cm/s while providing a relatively low response time of ~300s despite the small diameter (<1mm) and long length (340mm) of the Pitot tube needed to fit the HWTF geometry. Particle imaging velocimetry measurements in the central, viewable part of the HWTF confirmed the Pitot tube measurements in this region.