Flow rate estimation using acoustic field distortions caused by turbulent flows: time-reversal approach

A new acoustic technique for flow rate estimation is proposed here. This technique is based on the traditional ultrasonic cross-correlation flow meter, but instead of using a continuous wave or pulse trains in each transmitter-receiver pair, the acoustic time-reversal technique is applied. The system relies on the principle that a turbulent flow with multiple vortices will cause random distortions in a given acoustic field; hence, analyzing this noise caused in the ultrasound signal by the turbulence over time allows a 'signature' or 'tag' of the flow to be defined. In other words, the vortices modify the frequency response function of the flowing system uniquely, since the distortion is assumed to be random. The use of the time-reversal procedure in the cross-correlation flow meter provides improvements in several aspects: it simplifies the signal processing needed after the reception of the signals, avoiding the use of a demodulator to obtain the signature of the vortex; the signal is focused at the position of the reception transducer and; the sensitivity is also increased because the wave travels twice in the acoustic channel. The method is theoretically discussed showing its limitations and improvements. Experimental results in a laboratory water tank are also presented.