A proposal of a ring-type vortex flowmeter

A configuration of a ring-type bluff body situated in a circular pipe is suggested as a design of a vortex flowmeter. Experiments were carried out to test a series of ring-type bluff models, whose geometrical parameters are expressed in terms of the gap ratio G/W and the slenderness ratio D̄/W, where G denotes the gap width between the outer edge of the ring and the pipe wall, W denotes the width of the ring, and D̄ denotes the mean diameter of the ring. Major efforts are focused upon a group of the ring-type vortex shedders whose vortex shedding process is strongly influenced by the presence of the wall. Results obtained suggest the appropriate sizes of rings for which the vortex shedding frequency can be clearly measured either on the pipe wall or at the center of the pipe.