Fluid experimental flow estimation based on an optical-flow scheme

We present in this paper a novel approach dedicated to the measurement of velocity in fluid experimental flows through image sequences. Unlike most of the methods based on particle image velocimetry (PIV) approaches used in that context, the proposed technique is an extension of “optical-flow” schemes used in the computer vision community, which includes a specific enhancement for fluid mechanics applications. The method we propose enables to provide accurate dense motion fields. It includes an image based integrated version of the continuity equation. This model is associated to a regularization functional, which preserve divergence and vorticity blobs of the motion field. The method was applied on synthetic images and on real experiments carried out to allow a thorough comparison with a state-of-the-art PIV method in conditions of strong local free shear.