Thermal Flow Meter with Integrated Thermal Conductivity Sensor

Shirin Azadi Kenari*, Remco J. Wiegerink, Henk-Willem Veltkamp, Remco G.P. Sanders, Joost C. Lötters

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
33 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This paper presents a novel gas-independent thermal flow sensor chip featuring three calorimetric flow sensors for measuring flow profile and direction within a tube, along with a single-wire flow independent thermal conductivity sensor capable of identifying the gas type through a simple DC voltage measurement. All wires have the same dimensions of 2000 (Formula presented.) m in length, 5 (Formula presented.) m in width, and 1.2 (Formula presented.) m in thickness. The design theory and COMSOL simulation are discussed and compared with the measurement results. The sensor’s efficacy is demonstrated with different gases, He, N2, Ar, and CO2, for thermal conductivity and thermal flow measurements. The sensor can accurately measure the thermal conductivity of various gases, including air, enabling correction of flow rate measurements based on the fluid type. The measured voltage from the thermal conductivity sensor for air corresponds to a calculated thermal conductivity of 0.02522 [W/m·K], with an error within 2.9%.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1280
Number of pages15
JournalMicromachines
Volume14
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023

Keywords

  • calorimetric sensor
  • thermal conductivity
  • thermal flow sensor
  • Wheatstone bridge

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Thermal Flow Meter with Integrated Thermal Conductivity Sensor'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this