Clamp-on ultrasonic transducer arrays for flow measurement

Brief description of the context of the research including potential impact: Clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement of liquids, is a technology whose advancement has been held back by the cost and complexity of the ultrasonic transducers needed to perform such measurements. By making measurements at different paths across a flowing water column with a realistic flow profile, one can dramatically improve measurement accuracy when compared to the standard approach of sending an ultrasonic beam through a flowing fluid, across just one diameteral path.

Your new designs of ultrasonic transducers will remove this barrier, providing new and reliable and affordable designs of ultrasonic transducer. The successful candidate will be working at the forefront of research into clamp-on ultrasonic transducer arrays, designing and constructing instrumentation and validating the measurement accuracy of the new approach.

The student will have the opportunity to input their own ideas and concepts into, and after some training, they will design and build the prototypes themselves, using techniques including CAD and 3D-printing. This will be an applied physics project and will demonstrate how a sound understanding of the underlying physics can lead to the development of new and exciting instruments for use in real world measurements.

Water is an increasingly valuable asset, not just overseas but also in the UK, where in parts of SE England, there is less water per person than the desert states of Syria or Sudan. We will create affordable and novel transducer arrays that will help to ensure the sustainability of our water supplies, producing technology that can be applied to a many other areas.

Aims and objectives: Design, construct and test a new ultrasonic clamp-on array flowmeter; simulate ultrasonic flow measurements using CFD models and numerical calculations.

Novelty of the research methodology: No-one has previously attempted to use beam diffraction in clamp-on ultrasonic measurements to generate multiple chordal and diameteral paths across the flow profile. This should enable one to measure and compensate for swirling flows (not normally possible in conventional clamp-on measurements), and obtain much more accurate and reliable measurements of flow rates.

Alignment to EPSRC's strategies and research areas: This project aligns strongly with the EPSRC's strategies of building a greener and more secure and resilient world by ensuring that we have a commercially and technically viable new approach to characterising flow rates accurately on our water networks, reducing leaks and understanding better how and when our water is used. The UK government and industry have set ambitious targets for reducing leaks and waste and accurate flow metering will be an essential tool if their ambitious targets stand any chance of being achieved.