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.     

Stereoscopic PIV measurements of flow in and around axial flow fan

To analyze the complex three-dimensional flow structure of an axial flow fan and determine the validity of its application, PIV is used to provide detailed space and time resolved experimental data for understanding and control of flow field. The high resolution stereoscopic PIV system was successfully employed in this study for the investigation of flow structure around the axial flow fan. Using the once-per-revolution signal from the rotor, image fields were captured at a fixed position of the blades and hence provides the ability to do phase-averaging. The three-dimensional instantaneous velocity fields, phase-averaged velocity fields, instantaneous and mean vorticity distributions of the stereoscopic PIV measurement results were represented at typical planes of the flow field. Phaseaveraged velocity fields were calculated based on 200 frames of the instantaneous stereoscopic PIV measurement results. From the velocity distribution, the vorticity and turbulent intensity distribution, which are known to be major factors of fan noise, were calculated and its diffusion was discussed as they travel downstream. From the reconstructed three-dimensional velocity iso-surface at 8 cross planes of the outlet flow fields, the three-dimensional features can be seen clearly.     

多光谱成像的粒子图像测速

基于时间分辨的粒子图像测速技术(time-resolved particle image velocimetry, TR-PIV)是一种广泛应用的非接触式二维瞬时流场可视化测量技术。为了得到流场精细的瞬态空间结构和演变过程,提出了一种利用多光谱成像技术来提高流场测量的时间分辨率的方法。利用多个不同波长的脉冲激光照明流场中的同一测量区域,使用多光谱成像系统采集不同波长的粒子图像,经过图像分离,判决计算产生速度矢量场。为了验证这一原理的可行性,使用三种不同波长(488,532和632.8 nm)的单色光谱脉冲搭建了一套基于多光谱成像的TR-PIV系统,通过多波长激光脉冲之间时序的精确控制,将两帧图像之间的时间间隔从10 ms缩短至3.4 ms,时间分辨率提高了3倍。结果表明基于多光谱的TR-PIV测量系统在保持PIV技术瞬时全场测量特点的同时,时间分辨率大为提高。     

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.     

Improvement of ventilation flow inside a large factory building using PIV velocity field measurements

Air movement in workplaces, whether resulting from a forced ventilation system or natural airflow, has a significant impact on occupational health. In a huge building of shipbuilding factory, typical harmful factors such as fume or vaporized gas from welding and cutting of steel plates give an unpleasant feeling. From field data survey, the yearly dominant wind directions around the factory building tested were north-west, north-east and south-east. Among the three wind directions, the ventilation improvement was the worst for the north-eastern wind. This study was focused on modification of opening vents in order to utilize the natural ventilation flow effectively. Instantaneous velocity fields inside the 1/1000 scale-down factory building model were measured using a 2-frame cross-correlation PIV method. The factory model was embedded in an atmospheric boundary layer simulated in a wind tunnel. The modified vents improved the internal ventilation flow with increasing the flow speed more than two times, compared with that of present vents.     

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.     

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.     

3C PIV and PLIF measurement in turbulent mixing

The present work focuses on the measurements of instantaneous concentration fields of a passive scalar due to an impinging round jet injection into a liquid filled rectangular tank. Simultaneous measurements of velocity and passive scalar concentration fields have been conducted by using Particle Image Velocimetry (planar 2C and 3C PIV) and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) techniques. The mixing injection behavior is analyzed for several injection values of depth and flow rate. Results showed the classical developing and self-similar regions of the jet, the mixing layer and the coupled concentration and velocity fields due to impingement. Finally, 3C PIV reveals a 3D flow jet structure which seems to be a swirl that does not disturb 2D analysis.     

Flow diagnostics downstream of a tribladed rotor model

This paper presents results of a study of vortex wake structures and measurements of instantaneous 3D velocity fields downstream of a triblade turbine model. Two operation modes of flow around the rotor with different tip speed ratios were tested. Initially the wake structures were visualized and subsequently quantitative data were recorded through velocity field restoration from particle tracks using a stereo PIV system. The study supplied flow diagnostics and recovered the instantaneous 3D velocity fields in the longitudinal cross section behind a tribladed rotor at different values of tip speed ratio. This set of data provided a basis for testing and validating assumptions and hypothesis regarding classical theories of rotors.     

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.     

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.     

Simultaneous density and velocity measurements in a supersonic turbulent boundary layer

A novel technique for simultaneous measurements of instantaneous whole-field density and velocity fields of supersonic flows has been developed.The density measurement is performed based on the nano-tracer planar laser scattering(NPLS) technique,while the velocity measurement is carried out using particle image velocimetry(PIV).The present experimental technique has been applied to a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer at Mach 3,and the measurement accuracy of the density and velocity are discussed.Based on this new technique,the Reynolds stress distributions were also obtained,demonstrating that this is an effective means for measuring Reynolds stresses under compressible conditions.     

An experimental investigation of flow-induced acoustic resonance and flow field in a closed side branch system using a high time-resolved PIV technique

Abstract  

Systems with closed side branches are liable to an excitation of sound known as cavity tone. It may occur in pipe branches leading to safety valves or to boiler relief valves. The outbreak mechanism of the cavity tone has been ascertained by phase-averaged pressure measurements in previous research, while the relation between sound propagation and the flow field is still unclear due to the difficulty of detecting the instantaneous velocity field. It is possible to detect the two-dimensional instantaneous velocity field using high time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV). In this study, flow-induced acoustic resonance in a piping system containing closed side branches was investigated experimentally. A high time-resolved PIV technique was used to measure the gas flow in a cavity. Airflow containing oil mist as tracer particles was measured using a high-frequency pulse laser and a high-speed camera. The present investigation on the coaxial closed side branches is the first rudimentary study to visualize the fluid flow two-dimensionally in a cross-section using high time-resolved PIV, and to measure the pressure at the downstream side opening of the cavity by microphone. The fluid flows at different points in the cavity interact, with some phase differences between them, and the relation between the fluid flows was clarified.     

Planar velocity visualization in high-speed wedge flow using Doppler Picture Velocimetry (DPV) compared with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)

A technique for visualizing a velocity field in an entire plane has been developed by taking ‘Doppler Pictures’ using Michelson interferometry. With the Doppler Picture Velocimetry (DPV), information about the instantaneous and local velocities of tracers passing through a light sheet is available. The technique for taking and processing the Doppler pictures has been improved recently and the state-of-the-art of the DPV method will be described with an application in high-speed fluid flows showing the velocity distribution in a light sheet plane crossing a supersonic wedge flow generated in the high-energy shock tunnel STB of ISL. A comparison with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) velocity visualizations is also presented.     

Optical coherence tomography based particle image velocimetry (OCT-PIV) of polymer flows

The measurement of spatially resolved velocity distributions is crucial for modelling flow and for understanding properties of materials produced in extrusion processes. Traditional methods for flow visualization such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) rely on optically transparent media and cannot be applied to turbid polymer melts. Here we present optical coherence tomography as an imaging technique for PIV data processing that allows for measuring a sequence of time resolved images even in turbid media. Time-resolved OCT images of a glass-fibre polymer compound were acquired during an extrusion process in a slit die. The images are post-processed by ensemble cross-correlation to calculate spatially resolved velocity vector fields. The results compared well with velocity data obtained by Doppler-OCT. Overall, this new technique (OCT-PIV) represents an important extension of PIV to turbid materials by the use of OCT.     

3D imaging of evaporating fuel droplets by stereoscopic PIV

A gun-type burner is a widely used oil burner for industrial and domestic applications. The oil is pressure-atomized and mixed with air generating a recirculating, swirling flow. Because of the surrounding flame, fuel droplets evaporate, being difficult to obtain information on droplets’ dynamics. Several laser techniques have been applied to this burner for spray diagnosis. PDA provides information about droplet size and velocity but can say little about the instantaneous spatial structures in the flow. Planar laser techniques as PIV can describe the 2D instantaneous spatial structures, but cannot provide information about the 3D structures in the flow. Then Stereoscopic PIV was applied. This technique allows us to measure the full 3D velocity vector map in a whole fluid plane. This paper has a double purpose. Firstly, to visualize the 3D structures which are present in the burner; secondly, to show that Stereoscopic PIV is an applicable technique for the diagnosis of an evaporating spray.     

Particle image velocimetry in aerodynamics: Technology and applications in wind tunnels

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is increasingly used for aerodynamic research and development. The PIV technique allows the recording of a complete flow velocity field in a plane of the flow within a few microseconds. Thus, it provides information about unsteady flow fields, which is difficult to obtain with other experimental techniques. The short acquisition time and fast availability of data reduce the operational time, and hence cost, in large scale test facilities. Technical progress made in the last years allowed DLR to develop a reliable, modular PIV system for use in industrial wind tunnels. The features of this system are summarized and results of recent PIV applications are presented.     

Flow measurement in a transonic centrifugal impeller Using a PIV

Laser velocimetries, such as LDV or laser-2-focus (L2F) velocimetry, have been widely used for a flow measurement in a high-speed rotating impeller. A particle image velocimetry (PIV) is one of the popular velocity measurement techniques for the ability to measure a velocity field. And a PIV offers an extensive velocity field in an extremely shorter measurement time than the laser velocimetries. In the present experiment, a PIV was applied to a flow measurement in a transonic centrifugal impeller. A phase locked measurement technique every 20% blade pitch was performed to obtain a velocity field over one blade pitch of the inducer. The measured velocity field at the inducer of impeller clearly showed a shock wave generated on the suction surface of a blade. The validity of the present technique was also discussed.     

PIV measurement of velocity field in a spray combustor

This paper reports a velocity measurement technique using PIV for application to a luminous flame in a spray combustor. The present system consists of a standard PIV system, a rotary shutter and a band-pass filter, the combination of which removes the influence of the high intensity of the luminous flame. The effectiveness of the rotary shutter is studied by changing the shutter speed from 2 ms to 37 ms. The simultaneous observation of the velocity field and the flame structure was carried out in the combustor model for a boiler. The measured velocity field indicates that the exit velocity from the burner is increased by chemical reactions, but the flow pattern inside the combustor is kept similar to that without combustion.     

Large-scale PIV measurements of ventilation flow inside the passenger compartment of a real car

Abstract  

Most vehicles have a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning device that makes the environment in the passenger compartment comfortable. The improvement of climatic comfort is crucial not only to passenger comfort but also to driving safety. Therefore, a better understanding of the flow characteristics of ventilation inside the passenger compartment is essential. Most of the previous studies investigated the ventilation flow using computational fluid dynamics calculations or scale-down water-model experiments. In this study, the ventilation flow inside the passenger compartment of a real commercial automobile was investigated using a particle image velocimetry velocity measurement technique. Under real operating conditions, the velocity fields were measured at several vertical planes for various ventilation modes. The experimental data obtained from this study can be used to understand the detailed flow characteristics in the passenger compartment of a real car and to validate numerical predictions.