Pressure wave transmission attenuation in an air pipe flow is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. This investigation is to ensure the viability of remote flow measurement in an air pipe flow using a new fluidic pressure-pulse-transmitting flowmeter. The novel flowmeter produces self-induced oscillations, whose frequency is proportional to the flowrate. These pressure waves are transmitted via the flowing fluid and can be detected far downstream of the device. Experimental work has been conducted to ascertain how much the pressure waves are attenuated in air flow in a pipeline. This was done by using pipes of 0.05m diameter and both 4.7 and 28.5m long installed downstream of the flowmeter. A method of network simulation known as transmission line modelling (TLM), which has been programmed as the Sheffield University Network Analysis Software (SUNAS) code, is described and utilized to predict the wave decay through the air pipe flow. The theoretical and experimental results were found to give good agreement, demonstrating both the value of the modelling software and the viability of the remote flow measurement concept.
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