Non-contact flow velocity measurements in rivers using ultrasound

What is it about?

Ultrasound generated above the surface of a water flow interact with tiny surface waves generated by turbulence and by the rough bed. Experimental and numerical results demonstrate how the amplitude and frequency of reflected sound waves react to the conditions of the flow, enabling monitoring of small river flows remotely and inexpensively.

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Why is it important?

Monitoring the flow discharge and velocity of rivers and channel flows allows better management of water resources, and mitigates the risk of floods. Non-contact sensors that use similar principles to the ones described in this paper are commonly employed for measuring the ocean currents, and use radar or microwave instead of ultrasound. Their application in rivers was limited by the little understanding of the behaviour of surface waves in rivers. In this work we demonstrate how a refined surface model allow the extension of these techniques to ultrasound in a river model.