Immersed transient eddy current flow metering: a calibration-free velocity measurement technique for liquid metals

Eddy current flow meters (ECFM) are widely used for measuring the flow velocity of electrically conducting fluids. Since the flow induced perturbations of a magnetic field depend both on the geometry and the conductivity of the fluid, extensive calibration is needed to get accurate results. Transient eddy current flow metering (TECFM) has been developed to overcome this problem. It relies on tracking the position of an impressed eddy current system which is moving with the same velocity as the conductive fluid. We present an immersed version of this measurement technique and demonstrate its viability by numerical simulations and a first experimental validation.