LASER FLOWMETERS

PRESENTED BY:
HARISH KUMAR TOMAR
ROLL NO:194103326
DEPT. MECHANICAL
LASER - Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation.
In general we use He-Ne laser or Argon lasers in this as,
• Monochromatic light source.
• It is coherent .
• Its frequency is very stable.

• Its wave length is less effected by changes in ambient pressure ,temperature or

humidity.

Flowmeter- device uses to measure the flow of a fluid.

 LASER FLOWMETER
• It is most recent advancement of flow meter.

• It is also known as optical type flow meter.

• It can be used to measure the instantaneous velocities of gasses or liquids

flowing in a transparent (glass) channel.
 4

PRINCIPLE
• It is based on the Doppler shift in frequency of the light scattered by an
object moving relative to the radiating source.

• The technique basically consists of focusing laser beams at the region in

the fluid where velocity is to be measured.

• At this focal point the laser light scattered from the tracer particles
contained in the fluid.
• Signal processing of the photo-detector output gives the magnitude of
Doppler frequency shift.
• Which is directly proportional to instantaneously velocity of the flow.
 SCATTERED
BEAM

LASER BEAM
SOURCE SPLITTER PMT

LENS 1 PARTICLE
LENS2

SIGNAL
PROCESSING
AND DISPLAY
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF LASER FLOWMETER
Laser Flowmeter
Operations
• The laser source sends a beam that is divided by a beam splitter into two beams.

• The two beams are focused by lens L1 so that they intersect at a point in the test section
where there is flow. In the intersection region, interference fringes are formed.

• When particles pass through these, they generate optical signals with frequencies which
equal the Doppler frequency.

• The scattered light experiences a Doppler shift in frequency that is directly proportional to
the velocity of the flow.

• The light is collected by a photomultiplier tube (PMT).

• A signal processor is used to retrieve PMT velocity data.

• Change in frequency is given by:

2nv 
f  sin  
0 2

Where, n = The index of refraction of the fluid

0 = The wave length of the laser beam in the vacuum.
Advantages of Laser Flowmeter

• The output voltage of the instrument is proportional to the instantaneous

velocity of the fluid.

• Non –contact type of measurements i.e. no physical object is inserted in

the flow field.

• Flow rate is undisturbed by measurement.

• Suitable for measurement in both gas and liquid flows

Disadvantages

• It involves the need for a Transparent channel.

• The measurement technique is not suitable for clean flows that is needing of
tracer particles.

• Selection of tracer particles can be difficult.

• Single point measurement.

• It is highly expensive and requires a high degree of experience and skill in

operation .
Applications

• Sensing of wind velocities.

• Blood flow measurements.

• Used for both laminar and turbulent flow measurement.

• Fluid measurement in open channel.

 Laser flow meter.

Blood flow measurement Laser flowmeter by the Teledyne.

This is a real portion of laser
flowmeter being used.
References
• nptel.ac.in/measurement of flows
• youtube.com/laser velocimetry.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_measurement#Laser_Doppler_flo
w_measurement.
• https://www.laserquantum.com
Thank you.