• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.2407-2414
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• 1992

Constant temperature hot wire air flow meter for automobiles requires temperature compensation system because hot wire output signal is sensitive to ambient temperature variations as well as fluid velocity. The objectives of the present study are to design an air flow meter circuit which is capable of compensating the hot wire output signal for ambient temperature variations and to investigate the mechanism of such temperature compensation. This circuit is composed of platinum hot wire, platinum resistor, two variable resistors, a constant resistor and a DC-amplifier. In particular, by simply replacing a constant resistor in one of the bridge arms of the conventional circuit with platinum resistor and a variable resistor for the purpose of temperature compensation, the deviation of output signal with respect to ambient temperature variations between 27deg. C 70deg. C could be reduced to less than 2.5% for mass flow rate and to less than 5% for velocity respectively. The mechanism of temperature compensation against ambient temperature variations was explained by means of measuring the heat transfer coefficient with hot wire temperature variations and analyzing and analyzing conventional empirical equations qualitatively.