Evaluation and Performance Enhancement of a Pressure Transducer under Flows, Waves, and a Combination of Flows and Waves*

Abstract The performance of a pressure transducer, with its inlet attached to differing hydromechanical front ends, has been evaluated in flow flume and wave flume experiments in which laminar and turbulent flows, and regular progressive gravity waves and combinations of flows and waves, were generated. For steady laminar flows, and for waves propagating on quiescent waters, the transducer’s performance improved when the inlet was at the center and flush with a large, thin, and smooth circular horizontal end plate. This enhancement is likely to have been achieved because of the isolation of the pressure inlet from the separated flows and vortices generated by the transducer housing. Flow disturbances, generated by nearby solid structures, deteriorated the performance of the pressure transducer. However, its performance could be significantly improved by protecting the pressure inlet by a sturdy, curved perforated shield. The dynamic pressure error in this case was 2 mb at 100 cm s−1, compared to 8 mb in t...