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Updated: Jul 6, 2025

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics
Published on: August 27, 2013
Performance of three hydrophone flow shields in a tidal channel
Emma Cotter1, James McVey1, Linnea Weicht1
1Coastal Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sequim, Washington 98382, USAemma.cotter@pnnl.gov, james.mcvey@pnnl.gov, linnea.weicht@pnnl.gov, joseph.haxel@pnnl.gov.
Abstract:
Pseudosound caused by turbulent pressure fluctuations in fluid flow past a hydrophone, referred to as flow noise, can mask propagating sounds of interest. Flow shields can mitigate flow noise by reducing non-acoustic pressure fluctuations sensed by a hydrophone. We evaluate the performance of three hydrophone flow shields (two nylon fabrics and an oil-filled enclosure) in a tidal channel with peak current speed of 1.3 m s-1. All three flow shields reduced flow noise without attenuating propagating sound below 20 kHz. The oil-filled enclosure performed best, reducing flow noise by over 30 dB at frequencies below 40 Hz.
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