Water Surface Velocity Estimation Using Cooperative Radar Sensors

In this paper the approach for surface velocity estimation of liquid flows via the cross correlation of time domain signals is investigated. Special attention will be paid on the comparison of phase and amplitude based signal evaluation. Both methods depend on time lag measurements of directly backscattered characteristic surface changes. The measurements shown in this contribution result from an artificial flow passage and were realized with a vector network analyzer at 24 GHz. The advantage of evaluating the phase instead of the amplitude signals will be discussed. Furthermore, results achieved by radar systems using the Doppler effect to determine the velocity of fluids will be compared, too.