Design of thermal wind sensor with constant power control and wind vector measurement method

This paper presents a conceptual wind vector detector for measuring the velocity and direction of wind in enclosed or semi-enclosed large spaces. Firstly, a thermal wind sensor with constant power control was manufactured and then used as a wind velocity sensing unit. Secondly, a sensor bracket equipped with three thermal wind sensors was designed, the fluid dynamic response regularity of the measured wind field to the sensor bracket was analyzed using ANSYS Fluent CFD software, and then its structural parameters were optimized to improve measurement accuracy. The sensor bracket was fabricated via 3D printing. Finally, a unique wind vector measurement method was developed for the wind vector detector. Experimental results showed that the measured velocity range of the thermal wind sensor satisfied the requirements of being within 0–15 m/s with an accuracy of ±0.3 m/s, and the wind direction angle range of the wind vector detector was within 0–360° with an accuracy of ±5°. By changing the applied power control value of the thermal wind sensor and structural parameters of the sensor bracket, the measurement range and accuracy of the wind vector detector can be adjusted to suit different applications.