Performance analysis of present cup anemometers

Year 2019, Volume: 3 Issue: 4, 129 - 138, 31.12.2019

álvaro Ramos-cenzano Mikel Ogueta-gutiérrez , Santiago Pindado

https://doi.org/10.30521/jes.614212

Cited By: 4

Abstract

The cup anemometer, wind speed sensor developed by T.R. Robinson in the
19th century, remains today as the best option in relation to
important scientific and economic sectors such as the meteorology sector or the
wind energy sector. Despite the great advances reached by new technologies as
sonic anemometry, LIDAR or SODAR, the cup anemometer is the most demanded wind
speed sensor thanks to its balance between the accuracy, reliability, endurance
and the cost. In the present paper, the work carried out in relation to this
instrument at the IDR/UPM Institute is briefly summarized, and then the results
from the last research testing campaigns are included. The output signal of the
first class cup anemometers such as Thies CLIMA First Class, Thies CLIMA
4.3350, and Vector Instruments is analyzed to obtain insights on the instrument
accuracy. It is found that three accelerations of the rotor are converted into
a pulsed output signals, leading to some error if that is not taken into
account. Besides, the way the output signal is registered in order to correlate
the output frequency with the wind speed has proven to be also a source of
error. Two ways of extracting the output frequency, namely by Counting Pulses (CP),
and by using FFT are compared. Results indicate that the wind speed errors are six
times larger in the case of using FFT.

Keywords

Accuracy, Calibration, Cup anemometer, MEASNET, Wind speed sensor

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