Velocity field measurements of swirl flow around a forward-swept axial fan using a phase-averaged PTV

The flow characteristics around a rotating axial fan were experimentally investigated using a phase-averaged PTV velocity field measurement technique. The axial fan has 5 forward-swept blades with a radius of 25 mm. Measurements were carried out at 4 axial planes and 4 radial planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation. For the axial plane measurements, one fan blade was divided into 4 different phases in order to analyze the flow structure according to blade phase. For each case, 500 instantaneous velocity fields were measured and ensemble averaged to obtain phase-averaged velocity vector fields and vorticity contours. In addition, measurements were carried out at two planes around the blade surface. Phase averaged velocity fields show periodic variations with respect to the blade phase. The periodic shedding of the tip vortex at the blade tip is also observed. The phase averaged velocity fields measured in the radial planes show periodic variations according to the fan phase and the distance from the fan. These experimental results can be used to validate numerical calculations and to understand the flow characteristics of forward-swept axial fans.     

Investigation on the flow characteristics inside an automotive HVAC system with varying ventilation mode

The ventilation flow in a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) module of a passenger car was investigated experimentally. Three different ventilation modes with varying temperature mode were tested to study the effect of ventilation mode on the velocity field inside the HVAC module. For each mode, more than 450 instantaneous velocity fields were measured using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) velocity field measurement technique. The instantaneous velocity fields were ensemble averaged to obtain the spatial distribution of mean velocity and spanwise vorticity. The present work highlights the usefulness of the PIV technique for the analysis of the flow inside an HVAC module. The experimental results can be used not only to understand and improve the ventilation flow of an HVAC module but also to validate numerical predictions.     

Three-dimensional bubbly flow measurement using PIV

The experimental flow visualization tool, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), is being extended to determine the velocity fields in three-dimensional, two-phase fluid flows. In the past few years, the technique has attracted quite a lot of interest. PIV enables fluid velocities across a region of a flow to be measured at a single instant in time in the whole volume (global) of interest. This instantaneous velocity profile of a given flow field is determined by digitally recording particle (microspheres or bubbles) images within the flow over multiple successive video frames and then conducting flow pattern identification and analysis of the data. This paper presents instantaneous velocity measurements in various three-dimensional, bubbly two-phase flow situations. This information is useful for developing or improving existing computer constitutive models that simulate this type of flow field. It is also useful for understanding the detailed structure of two-phase flows.     

Visualization of tip vortex flow in an open axial fan by EFD

The behavior of tip vortex in an axial fan without casing wall (called open axial fan) was discussed and analyzed. The velocity measurement was performed by using two-components Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) system. The detailed velocity and vorticity distribution inside blade passage and downstream of rotor were obtained. Thus the structure of tip vortex and its behavior were graphically visualized by experimental fluid dynamics (EFD). The tip vortex flow trace was indicated with the calculation of vorticity. As a result, it was found that tip vortex was generated at blade tip region near leading edge and it extended to downstream of blade exit with its core tending inward to hub direction. In addition, leading edge vortex was also found at the forepart of the experimental open fan.     

Stereoscopic PIV measurements of flow around a marine propeller

A stereoscopic PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique has been employed to measure the 3 dimensional flow structure of turbulent wake behind a marine propeller with 5 blades. The out-of-plane velocity component was measured using particle images captured simultaneously by two CCD cameras installed in the angular displacement configuration. 400 instantaneous velocity fields were acquired for each of four different blade phases of 0°, 18°, 36° and 54°. They were ensemble averaged to investigate the spatial evolution of propeller wake in the near wake region up to one propeller diameter (D) downstream. The phase-averaged velocity fields show clearly the viscous wake formed by the boundary layers developed along both surfaces of the blade. Tip vortices were generated periodically and the slipstream contraction occurs in the near-wake region. The out-of-plane velocity component has large values at the locations of tip and trailing vortices. With going downstream, the axial turbulence intensity and the strength of tip vortices were decreased due to the viscous dissipation, turbulence diffusion and blade-to-blade interaction. The difference in the mean velocity fields measured by SPIV and 2-D PIV methods was about 5% ≈ 10%. However, the 2-D PIV results also give sufficient information on propeller wake beyond the region of X/D=0.2.     

Measurements of aerodynamic noise and wake flow field in a cooling fan with winglets

The aerodynamic noise and the wake flow field in a cooling fan under actual operating conditions are studied with and without winglets on the fan blades. In order to understand the influence of the winglet, the aerodynamic noise and the wake velocity distribution are measured. The results indicated that overall noise level decreased and the noise spectrum was changed in a low frequency range when the winglet was installed. It was found from the flow visualization and PIV measurement that the influence of the winglet appeared in the traces of the tip vortices and the magnitude of vorticity was reduced in the near wake region, which suggest the observed reduction in aerodynamic noise     

Experimental investigation of supersonic flow over elliptic surface

The coherent structures of flow over a compression elliptic surface are experimentally investigated in a supersonic low-noise wind tunnel at Mach Number 3 using nano-tracer planar laser scattering (NPLS) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques. High spacial resolution images and the average velocity profiles of both laminar inflow and turbulent inflow over the testing model were captured. From statistically significant ensembles, spatial correlation analysis of both cases is performed to quantify the mean size and orientation of large structures. The results indicate that the mean structure is elliptical in shape and structure angles in separated region of laminar inflow are slightly smaller than that of turbulent inflow. Moreover, the structure angle of both cases increases with its distance away from from the wall. POD analysis of velocity and vorticity fields is performed for both cases. The energy portion of the first mode for the velocity data is much larger than that for the vorticity field. For vorticity decompositions, the contribution from the first mode for the laminar inflow is slightly larger than that for the turbulent inflow and the cumulative contributions for laminar inflow converges slightly faster than that for turbulent inflow     

Application of DPIV to study both steady state and transient turbomachinery flows

Digital particle imaging velocimetry (DPIV) is a powerful measurement technique, which can be used as an alternative or complementary approach to laser doppler velocimetry (LDV) in a wide range of research applications. The instantaneous planar velocity measurements obtained with PIV make it an attractive technique for use in the study of the complex flow fields encountered in turbomachinery. The planar nature of the technique also significantly reduces the facility run time over point-based techniques. Techniques for optical access, light sheet delivery, CCD camera technology and particulate seeding are discussed. Results from the successful application of the PIV technique to both the blade passage region of a transonic axial compressor and the diffuser region of a high speed centrifugal compressor are presented. Both instantaneous and time-averaged flow fields were obtained. The averaged flow field measurements are used to estimate the flow turbulence intensity. The instantaneous velocity vector maps obtained during compressor surge provide previously unobtainable insight into the complex flow field characteristics occurring during short lived surge events. These flow field maps illustrate the true power of the DPIV technique.     

Phase averaged velocity field in the near wake of a square cylinder obtained by a PIV method

Phase averaged velocity fields in the near wake region behind a square cylinder have been successfully obtained using randomly sampled PIV data sets. The Reynolds number based on the flow velocity and the model height was 3,900. To identify the phase information, we examined the magnitude of circulation and the center of peak vorticity. The center of vorticity was estimated from lowpass filtered vorticity contours adopting a sub-pixel searching algorithm. Due to the sinusoidal nature of circulation which is closely related to the instantaneous vorticity, the location of peak vorticity fits well with a sine curve of the circulation magnitude. Conditionally averaged velocity fields represent the Karman Vortex shedding phenomenon quite successfully within ±5° phase uncertainty. The oscillating nature of the separated shear layers and the separation bubble at the upper and lower surfaces are clearly observed. With the hot-wire measurement of Strouhal frequency, we found that the convection velocity changes its magnitude very rapidly from 25 to 75 percent of the free stream velocity along the streamwise direction when the flow passes the recirculation region.     

Structure of the channel flow behind a surface-mounted rib under conditions of laminar-turbulent transition

The PIV technique was used to measure the instantaneous vector fields of flow velocity and vorticity behind a thin cross-flow rib installed in a channel with laminar, transient, or turbulent flow. The data were treated statistically to determine the fields of mean longitudinal flow velocity and the correlations of pulsating velocity components 〈u′ν′〉 and 〈u′u′〉. Some features of the flow structure developing under conditions of laminar-turbulent transition behind the rib have been revealed.     

开式轴流风扇叶尖流动的PIV实验研究

粒子成像测速仪(PIV)技术是一种测量叶轮机械内部流场的有效手段。本文利用对开式前缘弯掠轴流风扇进行PIV实验,捕捉到了开式轴流风扇的叶尖涡。实验结果表明,叶尖涡产生于叶顶前缘的吸力面,其涡核沿一条与旋转方向相反的斜线延伸,一直到转子下游出口。PIV实验数据和CFD内流计算结果吻合良好。本实验为改善风扇性能和认识其内流机制提供了可靠的实验依据。     

Application of PIV to over-expanded supersonic flows: Possibilities and limits

Two-dimensional velocity distributions outside a Mach 2.0 supersonic nozzle have been investigated using a digital particle im age velocimetry (PIV). Mean velocities , vor ticity field and volume dilatation field were obtained from PIV images using 0 .33 μm titanium dioxide (TiO₂) particle. The seeding particle of larger size , 1.4 μrn Ti0₂, was also used for the experimental comparison of velocity lag downstream of shock waves. The results have been compared and analyzed with schlieren photographs for the locations of shock waves and over-expanded shock structure to inspect possibilities and limits of a PIV technique to over-expanded supersonic flows. It is found that although the quantitative velocity measurement using PIV on over-expanded supersonic flows with large velocity and pressure gradients is limited, the locations of normal shock and oblique shock waves can be resolved by the axial/radial velocity fields, and over-expanded shock structure can be predicted by vorticity field and volume dilatation field which are acquired from the spatial differential of the velocity field.     

Dynamic PIV measurement of a high-speed flow issuing from vent-holes of a curtain-type airbag

A curtain-type airbag is a safety device designed to protect passengers from the side collisions of a car. The curtain-type airbag system consists of an inflator, a fill-hose, and a curtain-airbag. The fill-hose is a passageway and distributor of the exploded gases from the inflator to the airbag through vent-holes. Although the design of vent-holes is important for proper deployment of the airbag, it is very difficult to measure the exceedingly high speed flow issuing from the vent-holes by using conventional measurement methods. In this study, we employed a dynamic PIV technique to measure the temporal evolution of instantaneous velocity fields of the flow ejecting from the vent-holes. From the velocity field data measured at a frame rate of 2000 fps, the temporal variation of the volume flux from vent-holes was also evaluated for the diagnosis of airbag performance. The flows ejecting from the vent-holes showed high velocity fluctuations, and the maximum velocity was about 480 m/s. The instantaneous velocity fields in the initial stage showed a swaying motion of a high-speed jet. The accumulated volume flux from the vent-holes was also compared at each vent-hole region.     

Electrohydrodynamic flow in a wire-plate non-thermal plasma reactor measured by 3D PIV method

This work was aimed at measurements of the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) secondary flow in a non-thermal plasma reactor using three-dimensional particle image velocimetry (3D PIV) method. The wide-type non-thermal plasma reactor used in this work was an acrylic box with a wire discharge electrode and two plate collecting electrodes. The positive DC voltage was applied to the wire electrode through a 10 MΩ resistor. The collecting electrodes were grounded. The voltage applied to the wire electrode was 28 kV. Air flow seeded with a cigarette smoke was blown along the reactor duct with an average velocity of 0.6 m/s. The 3D PIV velocity fields measurements were carried out in four parallel planes stretched along the reactor duct, perpendicularly to the wire electrode and plate electrodes. The measured flow velocity fields illustrate complex nature of the EHD induced secondary flow in the non-thermal plasma reactor.     

A study in the developing region of square jet

The developing region of a turbulent square jet is investigated using high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV). The mean velocity and turbulence stresses are presented in various horizontal planes, along the jet centerline covering the initial region of the jet as well as the transition to the self-similar region. To study the flow structure away from the central plane, velocity measurements in two additional horizontal planes, one located halfway from the jet central plane toward the edge and the other at the edge of the square jet, are also examined. Analysis of the instantaneous velocity fields reveal the presence of an arrow-like feature in the square jet due to the higher instability generated in the jet shear layer compared with a round jet. To elucidate the imprints of the vortex structures present in the jets, a swirling strength-based vortex identification methodology is applied on a large ensemble of instantaneous velocity fields. Statistical analysis of the number of vortex cores, and their size and rotational strength in the measurement plane is undertaken. Vortex population at the edge was found to be very different compared with that in the central plane.     

粒子图象测速技术在内燃机缸内流场研究中的应用

本文应用粒子图象测速技术（PIV）对内燃机压缩过程中的缸内流场进行了实验研究。开发的实验装置可真实模拟内燃机的进气、压缩和膨胀行程，并且适于开设大窗口以测取大区域的全场速度分布。开发建立的PIV拍摄及数据处理系统实现了对瞬态全场流动参数的较精确的测量处理，可直观地给出流场中的涡流特征。文中有部分结果实例。     

PIV measurements of the flow and turbulent characteristics of a round jet in crossflow

The instantaneous and ensemble averaged flow characteristics of a round jet issuing normally into a crossflow was studied using a flow visualization technique and Particle Image Velocimetry measurements. Experiments were performed at a jet-to-crossflow velocity ratio, 3.3 and two Reynolds numbers, 1,050 and 2,100, based on crossflow velocity and jet diameter. Instantaneous laser tomographic images of the vertical center plane of the crossflow jet show that there exists very different natures in the flow structures of the near field jet due to Reynolds number effect even though the velocity ratio is same. It is found that the shear layer becomes much thicker when the Reynolds number is 2,100 because of the strong entrainment of the inviscid fluid by turbulent interaction between the jet and crossflow. The mean and second order statistics are calculated by ensemble averaging over 1,000 realizations of instantaneous velocity fields. The detail characteristics of mean flow field, streamwise and vertical rms velocity fluctuations, and Reynolds shear stress distributions are presented. The new PIV results are compared with those from previous experimental and LES studies.     

A comparative study of the PIV and LDV measurements on a self-induced sloshing flow

Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) and Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) measurements on a self-induced sloshing flow in a rectangular tank had been conducted in the present study. The PIV measurement result was compared with LDV measurement result quantitatively in order to evaluate the accuracy level of the PIV measurement. The comparison results show that the PIV and LDV measurement results agree with each other well in general for both mean velocity and fluctuations of the velocity components. The average disagreement level of the mean velocity between PIV and LDV measurement results was found to be within 3% of the target velocity for the PIV system parameter selection. Bigger disagreements between the PIV and LDV measurement results were found to concentrate at high shear regions. The spatial resolution and temporal resolution differences of the PIV and LDV measurements and the limited frames of the PIV instantaneous results were suggested to be the main reasons for the disagreement.     

Visualization of aerodynamic noise source around a rotating fan blade

The purpose of this study is to understand the aerodynamic noise source distribution around a rotating fan blade by measuring the noise signal and velocity field around the blade. The local noise-level distribution over the fan blade is measured by microphone arrays, and the flow field is visualized by smoke and phase-averaged PIV measurement. The noise source distribution is examined by cross-correlation analysis between noise signal and velocity fluctuation. It is found that the noise source is located near the rotating fan blade, especially around leading and trailing edges. The separation and reattachment of flow are observed near the leading edge, and the tip vortices and vortex shedding are found near the trailing edge. The cross-correlation distribution of the noise signal and the radial velocity fluctuation shows large magnitude in the correlated regions, which indicates the noise generation by the formation of vortex structure around the blade.     

Combined stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and line integral convolution methods

The flow fields for a sphere sedimenting through a Newtonian and two non-Newtonian liquids near a wall in a square tank are investigated using 3-D stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) and line integral convolution (LIC) methods. The PIV data were taken using an angular stereoscopic configuration with tilt and shift arrangements for the Scheimpflug condition and a pair of liquid correction prisms. Data were recorded from planes perpendicular and parallel to the wall for each fluid case over a range of distances from the wall. The PIV and LIC results highlight significant differences in the wake structure for all three cases. Out of plane flow was also found to persist up to two sphere diameters downstream in the wake for all cases.