Perpendicular fluid flow measurement with a spatial array of ultrasonic transducers

The challenge of remotely measuring fluid flow through a plane of interest for a wide range of velocities is addressed using an array of ultrasonic transducers. Unlike traditional transit-time ultrasonic flow measurements, the proposed method uses the angle-of-arrival of a reflected ultrasonic wave to measure flow perpendicular to the path of propagation. The use of angle-of-arrival information avoids the inherent requirement of transit-time techniques to have a non-negligible directional component of the propagation path in the flow direction. A successful proof-of-concept was developed to experimentally validate the proposed technique.