The Basics of Air Velocity Sensors

Dwyer Instruments offers a multitude of sensors for monitoring air velocity in HVAC systems. Some of this instrumentation has a simple construction (Pitot tubes, for example) while others are more complex, such as hot-wire anemometers.

The initial term and first “hot-wire anemometer” was developed back in 1914 by Louie Vesso King. He is also accredited for King’s Law, which mathematically describes heat transfer in air flows using a heated wire. As the air moves over the wire, it causes a loss of temperature in the wire and removes some of the wire’s heat energy.

Typically, hot-wire anemometers are configured with two separate sensors. The first sensor, the temperature compensation sensor, measures the actual process media temperature inside of the duct or pipe. The second sensor, the velocity sensor, is heated to an elevated temperature which is then cooled by the air flow in the process. The difference in power between the known constant and the effects of the air which is moving through the process, trying to drive the temperature down on the velocity sensor, can then be correlated back to an air velocity. This process is most commonly achieved using a wheatstone bridge circuit.

The air velocity transmitters, Series AVUL and AVLV, are examples of hot-wire anemometers with additional features and enhancements. The incorporation of BACnet and Modbus® communications allow units to be daisy-chained and provide remote access to data, and a unique engineered coating allows the sensors to be used in harsh environments.

To learn more about these transmitters, please visit our website.