In situ calibration of hot wires close to highly heat-conducting walls

A calibration procedure has been derived that permits reliable hot-wire mea surements close to walls. When hot wires are calibrated in a free flow and subsequently used for near-wall velocity measurements, erroneous velocity i nformation results because of additional heat losses to the wall. On the ot her hand, laser-Doppler anemometry (LDA) measurements of local time mean ve locities are very little affected by the presence of the wall and this read ily suggests in situ calibration of hot wires located just behind the LDA m easuring volume and at the same distance from the wall. Calibrations of thi s kind are described for highly heat-conducting walls and the results show good agreement with corresponding data obtained through numerical investiga tions. The present investigations permit a generally applicable correction curve to be suggested for hot-wire velocity measurements close to walls of high thermal conductivity.