Environmental Flow Measurement Using Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler

Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP) was applied to an environmental flow attempting an efficient measurement of river flow. In a lab-scale open channel, a velocity distribution in a channel cross section was obtained and a flow rate was estimated. We confirmed that the flow rate in an open channel can be measured with an accuracy as high as 5%. It was also established to detect the bottom position from a single velocity distribution, which might give us information about the geometry and condition of the bottom surface of the channel. We practiced the method in a small river, and showed that it might give us flow rate of the river with higher accuracy than conventional methods.