Simulation of Acoustic Wave Propagation Within Flowing Media Using Simplified Boundary Element Techniques

The development of a novel ultrasonic gas meter1 for household applications demonstrated that ultrasound technique can be a very precise and cost effective method for flow meters. Fig. 1 shows the basic principle of an ultrasound meter based on the delay time measurement principle. The time of flight between the two transducers positioned along the flow channel is influenced by the mean flow along the measurement path. The mean flow rate can be calculated as