A method measures surface velocity of a fluid having a free surface flowing through a pipe or a channel. A microwave beam is sent by patch antenna including an emitting patch area and receiving patch areas parallel to the emitting patch area. Microwave signals reflected by the moving fluid free surface are received on the receiving patch areas separated by a predetermined distance. The patch antennae are either in horizontal or vertical planes parallel to the average fluid velocity. For each microwave signal received, a phase shift between microwave signals received by different patch areas is determined to calculate azimuth angles and azimuth position of reflectors on the fluid surface or to calculate the elevation angle corresponding to each signal received. Based on Doppler frequency shifts between the sent and received microwaves and corresponding phase shifts, lateral and/or longitudinal distribution of the surface velocity of the fluid is calculated.

[Problem] To provide: fluorescent particles that are used to create a fluorescent material for coating an object in the vicinity of a fluid, that move regularly in the fluid while suppressing halation generated by the objects, and that enable the motion/movement of the fluid to be sharply visualized; an inspection device; and an inspection method.

[Solution] Substantially spherical fluorescent particles comprising a mixture containing at least one fluorescent material and a synthetic resin, wherein: the fluorescent material is excited by any purple visible light and UV rays having a wave-length of 290-405 nm, and emits visible light having a peak wavelength within the range of 410-620 nm; and the fluorescent particles have diameters of 100 nm to 1 mm and are distinguishable from bubbles and/or foreign bodies in the fluid when irradiated with the light.

A wind flow sensing system for determining wind flow at a set of different altitudes above a terrain is provided, The wind flow sensing system comprises an input interface configured to receive a set of measurements of radial velocities at line-of-site points above the terrain for each of the altitudes, and a processor configured to estimate velocity fields for each of the altitudes based on data assimilation of the velocity fields above an approximation of the shape of the terrain with a set of one or multiple convex shapes to fit the measurements of radial velocities and estimate horizontal velocities at each of the altitudes as a horizontal projection of the corresponding radial velocities corrected with corresponding horizontal derivatives of vertical velocities of the estimated velocity fields. The wind flow sensing system further comprises an output interface configured to render the estimated horizontal velocities at each of the altitudes.

Disclosed herein is a wind measuring system including a first flow sensor and plural second flow sensors. The first flow sensor and the plural second flow sensors each include a microheater including a board, an insulating film, and a heater. The board includes a first principal surface and a second principal surface. The board has defined therein an opening portion passing through the board along a direction from the first principal surface toward the second principal surface. The insulating film includes a peripheral portion disposed on the first principal surface, a central portion having the heater disposed thereon, and a connection portion extending from the central portion to be connected to the peripheral portion to support the central portion over the opening portion. The first flow sensor and the plural second flow sensors each output a signal that varies according to a change in electrical resistance value of the heater.

A system, method, and apparatus are disclosed for determining ABL wind field advection speed and direction comprising collecting at least two wind volumes from the ABL wind field, defining portions of the measurement domain within the at least two wind volumes for analysis, determining the advection of an isolated wind field between the at least two wind volumes, and iterating a process of correcting for intra-volume advection, objective analysis, and determining the inter-volume advective properties; wherein upon convergence of a measured advection profile, the advective properties of the ABL wind field have been appropriately derived.

The present invention provides techniques for recovering hydrocarbon fluids in a process flow, including recovering bitumen from a coarse tailings line. The apparatus includes a signal processor that responds to signaling containing information about the presence of a hydrocarbon fluid in a process flow; and determines corresponding signaling to control the diversion of the hydrocarbon fluid from the process flow remaining based on the signaling received. The hydrocarbon fluid may be bitumen, including bitumen flowing in a course tailings line. The signal processor receives the signaling from a velocity profile meter having sensors arranged around a circumference of a process pipe containing information about a fluid flow velocity at various levels or heights within the process pipe, including a wrap-around velocity profile meter having multiple sensing arrays located radially at a top position of 0°, a bottom position of 180°, and intermediate positions 45°, 90° and 135°.

A wind flow sensing system for determining a turbulence of wind flow at a set of different altitudes above a terrain is provided. The wind flow sensing system comprises an input interface configured to receive a set of measurements of radial velocities at line-of-site points above the terrain for each of the altitudes for a set of time steps, and a processor configured to estimate velocity fields for each of the altitudes based on data assimilation of the velocity fields, estimate unbiased horizontal velocities at each of the altitudes and for each time step, determine an average of the unbiased horizontal velocities for a period of time including the set of time steps, and determine, at each of the altitudes, a turbulence based on the unbiased horizontal velocities for each time step and the average of the unbiased horizontal velocity.

A solar tracker system includes a photovoltaic panel and an actuator coupled to the photovoltaic panel and configured to actuate to rotate the photovoltaic panel around a base. A controller communicatively coupled to the actuator is configured to detect a direction from which wind is incident on the photovoltaic panel. Based on the direction from which wind is incident on the photovoltaic panel, the controller adaptively controls the actuator to set a stow position of the photovoltaic panel.

A wind flow sensing system for determining wind flow at a set of different altitudes above a terrain is provided, The wind flow sensing system comprises an input interface configured to receive a set of measurements of radial velocities at line-of-site points above the terrain for each of the altitudes, and a processor configured to estimate velocity fields for each of the altitudes based on data assimilation of the velocity fields above an approximation of the shape of the terrain with a set of one or multiple convex shapes to fit the measurements of radial velocities and estimate horizontal velocities at each of the altitudes as a horizontal projection of the corresponding radial velocities corrected with corresponding horizontal derivatives of vertical velocities of the estimated velocity fields. The wind flow sensing system further comprises an output interface configured to render the estimated horizontal velocities at each of the altitudes.

A particle velocimetry system and algorithm are provided for executing a particle reconstruction to determine three-dimensional positions of particles in a particle laden fluid flow from two-dimensional flow images generated by two-dimensional image sensors; generate a three-dimensional particle distribution from the three-dimensional position; and execute a Particle recursive loop for performing further iterations of particle reconstruction and generation of three-dimensional particle distributions, with recursive iterations of particle reconstruction executed with the use of particle property data obtained from the prior executed iteration of particle reconstruction.