Hot-wire anemometer

From Glossary of Meteorology



hot-wire anemometer[edit | edit source]

An anemometer that utilizes the principle that the convection of heat from a body is a function of its ventilation.

In its usual form it consists of a thin platinum wire heated to approximately 1000°C so that its temperature is relatively independent of ambient temperature variation. Wind speed is determined by measuring either the current required to maintain the hot wire at a constant temperature or the resistance variation of the hot wire while a constant current through the wire is maintained. Wind speeds as low as a few centimeters per second can be measured in this manner. The response time constant of the wire can be made very small.
See hot-film anemometer.


Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.