A rotary thermal probe for measuring groundwater velocity

Abstract

A rotary thermal groundwater flowmeter was studied theoretically and experimentally, and its electrical model was used for searching a linear transference. The velocity measuring range was extended with respect to previous developments, and flow direction estimated by rotating the sensor head of the probe. This instrument was tested under laboratory conditions with the probe in contact with saturated sand and within standard plastic screens. Simulations suggested that the probe would work properly with high flow velocities arising in some groundwater remediation processes. Flow direction was estimated with a mean squared error of 1.3° and a standard deviation of 0.9°.