A Hot-Wire Liquid Water Device Having Fully Calculable Response Characteristics

A liquid water sensor consisting of a thin copper wire wound on a hollow 1.5 mm diameter cylinder is described. Slave coils on either side of the master sensing coil reduce axial heat losses to an acceptable level, and allow for a simple relationship between power supplied to the wire and liquid water content. Wet wind-tunnel tests show that the system response to liquid water is easily calculable from a knowledge of the geometrical dimensions of the cylinder and the operating temperature of the hot wire. When operated at 100°C, the device has a sensitivity of 0.02 g m−3, a response time of better than 0.05 s and an accuracy of 5% at 1 g m−3.