Practical Aspects of using Pitot Tube

P M V Subbarao
Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department

Corrections to Devotion from Potential Flow

 YAW AND PITCH ANGLE RANGE

• If the fluid stream is not parallel to the probe head, errors

occur in both total and static readings.
• These are the most important errors in this type of
instrument because they cannot be corrected without taking
independent readings with another type of probe.
Errors due to Yaw and Pitch Angle
 WALL BOUNDARY EFFECTS

•The static pressure indication is sensitive to distance from

solid boundaries.
•The probe and boundary form a Venturi passage, which
accelerates the flow and decreases the static pressure on
one side.
 y/d
The curve shows that static readings should not be taken
closer than 5 tube diameters from a boundary for 1%
accuracy and 10 tube diameters is safer.
 TURBULENCE ERRORS

• Pitot-Static tubes appear to be insensitive to isotropic

turbulence, which is the most common type.
• Under some conditions of high intensity, large scale
turbulence, could make the angle of attack at a probe vary
over a wide range.
• This probe would presumably have an error corresponding
to the average yaw or pitch angle produced by the
turbulence
 TIME CONSTANT
• The speed of reading depends on
– the length and diameter of the pressure passages inside the probe,
– the size of the pressure tubes to the manometer, and
– the displacement volume of the manometer.
• The time constant is very short for any of the standard
tubes down to 1/8" diameter.
• It increases rapidly for smaller diameters.
• For this reason 1/16" OD is the smallest recommended size
for ordinary use .
• This will take 15 to 60 seconds to reach equilibrium
pressure with ordinary manometer hook-ups.
• The tubes have been made as small as 1/32" OD.
• But their time constant is as long as 15 minutes and they
clog up very easily with fine dirt in the flow stream.
• If very small tubes are required, it is preferable to use
separate total and static tubes rather than the combined
total-static type.
• Where reinforcing stems are specified on small sizes, the
inner tubes are enlarged at the same point to ensure
minimum time constant.
Dynamic response of a Pitot-Static Tube
 Assumptions

•The fluid is assumed to be incompressible the total length

of the fluid column remains fixed at L.
•Assume that the probe is initially in the equilibrium
position.
• The pressure difference Δp is suddenly applied across it.
•The fluid column will move during time t > 0.
The forces that are acting on the length L of the fluid are:

Force disturbing the equilibrium Fdis  Am p

d 2h
Inertial Force Fi  m fluida fluid   f Af L 2
dt
Forces opposing the change:
a. Weight of column of fluid Fg  m fluid ghv   f A f ghv

b. Fluid friction due to viscosity of the fluid : Fviscous  p fri A f

•The velocity of the fluid column is expected to be small and
the laminar assumption is thus valid.
•The viscous force opposing the motion is calculated based
on the assumption of fully developed Hagen-Poiseuelle flow.
32L 32L dh
The fricitional pressure drop p f   u m  
d2 d 2 dt
 Fviscous  p f Am
32L dh
Fviscous  Am p f  Am
d 2 dt

Newton’s Law of Motion

Fi  Fdis  Fg  Fviscous

d 2h 32L dh
 f Am L 2  Am p   f Am ghv  Am 2
dt d dt
d 2h 32L dh
 f L 2  p   f ghv  2
dt d dt
 d 2 h 32L dh
m L 2  2   m ghv  p
dt d dt

d 2 h 32L dh
m L 2  2   m g h  hh   p
dt d dt

L d 2 h 32L dh p
 2 h  hh
g dt 2
d  m g dt m g
 Second Order System
L d 2 h 32L dh p
 2 h  hv
g dt 2
d  m g dt m g

L 32 L p
a2  ; a1  2 ; a0  1 & b0   hv
g d m g m g
The essential parameters
b0 p
The static sensitivity: K   hv
a0  m g
a1 32L
The dimensionless damping ratio:   
2 a0 a2 2d 2  m g L
g
a0 g
The Natural Frequency: n  
a2 L
 1 d 2 h 2 dh p
  1   hv
n dt
2 2
n dt m g

Transfer Function of a second order system for step input:

Y s  1
G(s)   2

X s  s a2  a1s  a0 
1 n2
G(s)   2
 s2 2  s  2 n s  n2 
 2  s  1
 n n 

p
X s  
 m gs
 pn2
Y s  

 m gs s 2  2n s  n2 
•The transfer function is parameterized in terms of ζ and ωn.
•The value of ωn doesn’t qualitatively change the system response.
•There are three important cases—with qualitatively different
system behavior—as ζ varies.
•The three cases are called:
•Over Damped System (ζ >1)
•Critically Damped System (ζ =1)
•Under Damped System (ζ <1)
 General Response of A Second Order System

y (t )  m g
p

0
y (t )  m g
y(t) t
p
0.5
 0.707
y (t )  m g
p

1.0

t
 Response of Pitot tube to step input

y (t )  m g
p
• Over Damped System (ζ >1)

32L
 1
2d 2  m g L
g

32 L m g
L
  2 1  2 
2d  m g d 16

y(t ) 
p 

n t

1  e cosh n   1 t 
 m g 
2 
 1
2
n t
 

e sinh n   1 t 
2


y(t)

t
Measurement of Multi-dimensional Flows
 Five Hole Probes
• The five-hole probe is an
instrument often used in low-
speed wind tunnels to
measure flow direction,
static pressure, and total
pressure in subsonic flows.
• This adaptation permits
extending the useful
calibration range up to 85 ° .
• A special calibration is to
been done, and new,
extended range calibration
curves are to be provided.
 Probe Description

• The probe consists of four direction-sensing ports plus a

center port, precision bored into a conical brass tip.
• Four individual small diameter stainless steel tubes connect
the four side sensing ports to individual pressure
transducers.
• The outer 3.175 millimeter diameter tube serves as the
pressure transmitting channel for the center tube, as well as
housing for the four side-port tubes.
• This small 3.175 millimeter tube is fitted within a larger
tube for increased stiffness away from the sensing tip.
Calibration of Five Hole Probes