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TESTING LONG-WAVELENGTH ACOUSTIC FLOWMETER CONCEPTS FOR FLUE GAS FLOWS
Published
Author(s)
Lee J. Gorny, Keith A. Gillis, Michael R. Moldover
Abstract
As a part of NISTs program to standardize measurements of greenhouse gas emissions, we are developing a long-wavelength acoustic flowmeter (LWAF) for accurate, economical measurements of exhaust flows from coal-burning power plants. Measurements of the flue gas mass flowrate combined with the gass composition are used to determine the emitted CO2 and other by-products of combustion. Today, such measurements have uncertainties of 5% or more due to the large size of the flue-gas stacks and the flows non-uniform, unsteady, and swirling profile. A LWAF averages the spatial non-uniformities of the axial velocity over the entire cross section in a manner insensitive to flow distortions. In contrast, conventional techniques measure gas flow only at isolated points or averaged along chord across the stack. We constructed a 1:100 scale, calibrated flow facility for the initial development of a LWAF. In preliminary tests of three flow metering methods, uncertainties ranged from 1.4% to 4.9%, compared to our target uncertainty of 1%. We present the principle behind the LWAF, our design considerations, and the current performance of time and frequency-based approaches to metering, and describe technical challenges that must be overcome to use a LWAF at a full-scale power plant.
Proceedings Title
8th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement
Gorny, L.
, Gillis, K.
and Moldover, M.
(2012),
TESTING LONG-WAVELENGTH ACOUSTIC FLOWMETER CONCEPTS FOR FLUE GAS FLOWS, 8th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement , Colorado Springs, CO, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=911460
(Accessed October 2, 2025)