Peltier Effect Appliedto the Design and Realizationof a New Mass Flow Sensor

[摘要] The present paper deals with design and realization of a new mass flow sensor using thePeltier effect. The sensor, shaped as a bimetallic circuit includes two continuous parallelstrips coated with a great deal of metal plated spots. In such a device, one track performsas a classical thermoelectrical circuitry whose both plated and uncoated parts providethe thermopile junctions. The other strip is subjected to electrical current so as to generatenumerous small thermal gradients owing to the Peltier effect. Then, the resultingdifferences in temperature induce a Seebeck e.m.f. detected by the other strip actingas a receiver. The thermal coupling between transmitter and receiver tracks depends onmany variation of the surrounding environment heat transfer coefficient. Therefore,such a device allows us to detect any shift in physical properties related to the apparentthermal conductivity. In special case of a steady state fluid, the induced e.m.f. in thereceiving track hinges on the thermal conductivity. When the fluid is in relative motionalong the sensor, the velocity can be read out as a funotion of voltage as an application,the sensor is placed into a tube conducting a fluid flow, in order to design a new massflowmeter.

[学科分类] 电子、光学、磁材料