How to Use a Flow Anemometer
- 1). Examine the basic design of the modern anemometer. It typically consists of three arms connected to a single pivot point that rotates freely. Each arm has a cup mounted at its end. Modern designs may include a tag on each cup that is used to determine wind direction. Put a distinctive and highly visible mark on one of the cups.
- 2). Mount the anemometer so that it's fully exposed to the wind from all directions. The roof of a building is a common location for permanently mounting an anemometer. This allows the device to be clearly viewed from a distance and also makes it unlikely that it will be blocked from the wind.
- 3). Measure the relative wind speed by counting the number of revolutions that the anemometer makes in a specific period of time. You should be able to do this by watching the marked cup as it spins around the pivot point.
- 4). Calculate wind speed with a simple anemometer. Count the number of spins that the simple anemometer makes in a minute. Record the average wind speed over the same period using a commercial anemometer.
- 5). Divide the number of spins per minute by the actual wind speed observed from the commercial anemometer in step 4 to get a conversion factor for your simple anemometer. You can then estimate the wind speed from the simple anemometer in the future by multiplying the spins per minute by this conversion factor.
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