Experimental investigation of a vane probe blockage effect in a small wind tunnel

Bobovnik, Gregor (author), Sambol, Peter (author), Geršl, Jan (author), Kutin, Jože (author)

The blockage effect of a vane probe with a high blockage ratio is investigated in a small, open-circuit wind tunnel with a box-type test section. A laser Doppler anemometer is utilized to determine a reference air velocity. The study examines how different cross-sectional and axial positions of the vane probe in the test section affect the calibration results. The experiments were designed so that no access to the test section was required during individual test series, in which the probe was moved along a single direction within the test section. The results highlight the importance of the positioning of the vane probe, in particular the effect of insertion depth. The test results were also analysed in the context of literature-based uncertainty estimates related to blockage effects. Measurements of the velocity fields upstream of the vane probe showed that the points for the reference velocity measurement were in regions where the velocity disturbances caused by the vane probe were minimal. Comparative measurements conducted in a larger, closed-circuit wind tunnel revealed no systematic shifts directly attributable to the applied calibration procedure or blockage effects. With the aim of minimizing the blockage effects, the presented approach based on measurement of velocity perturbation fields allows a qualitative assessment of the adequacy of selected reference velocity measurement points.

• Language: English
• Keywords: vane probe, laser Doppler anemometer, wind tunnel, blockage effect, velocity perturbations, intercomparison
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 261, art. 119919
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176657
• UDC: 006.91:628.854.2
• ISSN on article: 1873-412X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2025.119919
• COBISS.SI-ID: 260334851
• Publication date in RUL: 08.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Measurement
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1873-412X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23272709

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: krilni anemometer, laserski Dopplerjev anemometer, vetrovnik, zastojni učinek, perturbacije hitrosti, primerjava

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0223
• Name: Prenos toplote in snovi

• Funder: Czechia, Ministry of Industry and Trade
• Project number: UTR 24E601501