Introduction

An anemometer is a weather instrument for measuring wind speed. There are many styles of anemometers including windmill, cup, and sonic, but this Project is based on the concept of a hot-wire anemometer. In a standard hot-wire anemometer, a thin wire is heated to a temperature above ambient by running an electrical current through it. After a short period of time, the wire will reach an equilibrium temperature such that the heat energy coming into the system from electricity will be matched by the loss of heat energy to the environment. The rate of heat loss depends on the wind speed of the surrounding environment. An increase in wind speed causes an increase in heat loss. In a hot-wire anemometer, wind flowing across the thin wire causes the temperature of the wire to decrease — the faster the wind moves, the more the wire cools. By measuring the temperature of the hot wire, you can indirectly determine wind speed.

Objectives