Deviation of Cup and Propeller Anemometer Calibration Results with Air Density

Santiago Pindado,Alain Wery,Alfredo Sanz

doi:10.3390/en5030683

Santiago Pindado, Alain Wery + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en5030683

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Abstract

The effect of air density variations on the calibration constants of several models of anemometers has been analyzed. The analysis was based on a series of calibrations between March 2003 and February 2011. Results indicate a linear behavior of both calibration constants with the air density. The effect of changes in air density on the measured wind speed by an anemometer was also studied. The results suggest that there can be an important deviation of the measured wind speed with changes in air density from the one at which the anemometer was calibrated, and therefore the need to take this effect into account when calculating wind power estimations.

Highlights

IntroductionThe use of wind speed anemometers is increasingly common, their applications having spread from the typical applications in meteorology or in the wind energy industry, to other application in fields affected by the action of wind (e.g., civil engineering structures like moving bridges could need wind speed measurements in order to assure safe operation)
At present, the use of wind speed anemometers is increasingly common, their applications having spread from the typical applications in meteorology or in the wind energy industry, to other application in fields affected by the action of wind.The most used anemometers in scientific or industrial applications are the cups anemometer and propeller anemometer
The major conclusions resulting from this work are: 1. Both calibration constants, A and B, of the anemometer’s transfer function are affected by changes in air density

Summary

Introduction

The use of wind speed anemometers is increasingly common, their applications having spread from the typical applications in meteorology or in the wind energy industry, to other application in fields affected by the action of wind (e.g., civil engineering structures like moving bridges could need wind speed measurements in order to assure safe operation). The most used anemometers in scientific or industrial applications are the cups anemometer and propeller anemometer. Both are easy to operate and provide sufficiently accurate wind speed measurements. One of the most (probably the most) important demand of cups and propeller anemometers is represented by the wind energy sector, industry that needs a very accurate wind speed measurements [1,2]. The accuracy of an anemometer is assured by its periodic calibration in a wind tunnel [3]. As a result of this calibration process it is possible to obtain the coefficients A and B of the anemometer’s transfer function:

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