Investigation of a turbulent spot using multi-plane stereo particle image velocimetry

The multi-plane stereo particle image velocimetry (MSPIV) technique has been applied to an investigation of the spatial and temporal development of turbulent spots in a laminar flat-plate boundary-layer flow with a slight adverse pressure gradient. On the basis of a large number of evaluated instantaneous 3- and 2-component velocity-vector fields, measured synchronously and separated in space, or with different time separations in one or two planes, the technique enabled the determination of several statistical quantities of fluid mechanical significance. The shape and role of coherent substructures for the growth and turbulent mixing of the spot were the focus of this investigation.List of symbols x, y, z stream-, normal-, and spanwise coordinate - U freestream velocity (U=7 m/s) - Re Reynolds number, =Re_x^1/2 - u, v, w instantaneous velocity components - u, v, w fluctuation velocity components - Q-1,...,4 quadrants of Reynolds stress uv' - PDF probability density function - R_ii space–(time)-correlation function - wavelength of laser light - TE trailing edge of turbulent spot - LE leading edge of turbulent spot     

Evaluation of transient turbulent flow fields using digital cinematographic particle image velocimetry

This paper describes an experimental development for temporal and spatial reconstruction of continuously varying flow fields by means of digital cinematographic particle image velocimetry (PIV). The system uses a copper-vapor laser illumination synchronized with a high-speed camera, and continuously samples at 250 fps to measure transient and non-periodic turbulent flows with relatively low frequencies, i.e., the surf zone turbulence produced by depth-limited wave break in a long laboratory flume. The use of the developed PIV system comprehensively records the temporal development of both phase-averaged and instantaneous turbulent vortex flows descended from the breaking waves to the bottom. Also, the measured power spectra show harmonic frequencies, ranging from the orbital frequency of 0.5 Hz up to the order of 5 Hz, and the well-known −5/3 dependence upon the turbulence fluctuation frequencies thereafter. Received: 2 December 1999/Accepted: 6 September 2000     

Spatially correlated precision error in digital particle image velocimetry measurements of turbulent flows

The purpose of the current paper is to describe an experimental study of the spatially correlated precision errors associated with particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements made in turbulent flows. A free jet was used as the base flow for the study. The precision error of time-averaged statistics of the mean and turbulent flowfield is governed by the probability distribution function of the various quantities and the finite sample size of the data sets. Spatial measurements that are separated by a distance that is shorter than the size of the large turbulent scales will not be independent, resulting in a correlated precision error. The characteristics of the precision error for various statistics will be described. It is found that mean vorticity has a correlated precision error that is limited to a much smaller length scale. The results demonstrate the importance of understanding the role of error correlation in the interpretation of PIV data.     

Measurement of two-dimensional velocity fields in porous media by particle image displacement velocimetry

Local measurements of the phase function and of two components of the velocity can be performed in transparent porous media by means of particle image displacement velocimetry (P.I.D.V.). Some preliminary results are presented and discussed.     

Investigation of particle-laden turbulent pipe flow at high-Reynolds-number using particle image/tracking velocimetry (PIV/PTV)

An experimental investigation of a high Reynolds number flow (Re = 320 000) of a dilute liquid-solid mixture (<1% by volume) was conducted. The turbulent motion of both the liquid phase (water) and particles (0.5, 1, and 2 mm glass beads) was evaluated in an upward pipe flow using a particle image/tracking velocimetry (PIV/PTV) technique. Results show that the Eulerian mean axial velocity of the glass beads is lower than that of the liquid phase in the central region but higher in the near-wall region. Moreover, the presence of the coarse particles has a negligible effect on the turbulence intensity of the liquid phase. Particles show higher streamwise and radial fluctuations than the liquid-phase at the tested conditions. The profiles of particle concentration across the pipe radius show almost constant concentration in the core of the pipe with a decrease towards the near wall region for 0.5 and 1 mm particles. For the 2 mm particles, a nearly linear concentration gradient from centre to the pipe wall is observed. The results presented here provide new information concerning the effect of a dispersed particulate phase on the turbulence modulation of the liquid carrier phase, especially at high Reynolds numbers. The present study also demonstrates how correlations developed to determine if particles cause turbulence attenuation/augmentation are not applicable for solid-liquid flows at high Reynolds numbers. Finally, the importance of particle-fluid slip velocity on fluid phase turbulence modulation is illustrated.     

Unsteady velocity field measurements at the outlet of an automotive supercharger using particle image velocimetry (PIV)

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to study air flow characteristics at the outlet of an automotive supercharger. Instantaneous velocity fields were analyzed to yield ensemble-averaged velocities and Reynolds stresses, and the ensemble-averages were used to determine maximum velocity and exit flow angle as a function of blade position for various speeds and pressure ratios. The results show that the flow exits the supercharger as a high-speed jet that not only varies in the parallel plane but also in the perpendicular plane, generating a complex three-dimensional flow. The flow varies in the magnitude and the angle at which it leaves the supercharger with the change in blade position and follows a periodic behavior. The maximum velocity at which the flow exits the supercharger also follows a periodic behavior with a variation of 25–30% observed for all the cases. In the parallel plane, the exit angles are periodic every 60° of blade rotation and vary by as much as 40°, whereas periodic behavior with every 120° of blade rotation and a variation of 60° is observed in the perpendicular plane. Variation in flow with blade position is also observed in the velocity and turbulence profiles, with periodic behavior with every 60° blade rotation. The velocity and velocity fluctuation profiles show that the unsteady nature of the flow is most significant close to the outlet, and these unsteady variations diminish 58 mm downstream of the outlet. An exit flow pattern of a Fig. 8 is generated as the flow leaves the blades with one complete blade rotation of 120° for all the cases, except 4000 rpm, pressure ratio 1.4, where the flow exits in a circular pattern.     

Fundamentals of multiframe particle image velocimetry (PIV)

A sophisticated strategy for the evaluation of time-resolved PIV image sequences is presented which takes the temporal variation of the particle image pattern into account. The primary aim of the method is to increase the accuracy and dynamic range by locally adopting the particle image displacement for each interrogation window to overcome the largest drawback of PIV. This is required in order to resolve flow phenomena which have so far remained inaccessible. The method locally optimizes the temporal separation between the particle image pairs by taking first and second order effects into account. The validation of the evaluation method is performed with synthetically generated particle image sequences based on the solution of a direct numerical simulation. In addition, the performance of the evaluation approach is demonstrated by means of a real image sequence measured with a time-resolved PIV system.     

An improved cross-correlation method for (digital) particle image velocimetry

An improved method that brings enhancement in accuracy for the interrogation of (digital) PIV images is described in this paper. This method is based on cross-correlation with discrete window offset, which makes use of a translation of the second interrogation window and rebuilds it considering rotation and shear. The displacement extracted from PIV images is predicted and corrected by means of an iterative procedure. In addition, the displacement vectors are validated at each intermediate of the iteration process. The present improved cross-correlation method is compared with the conventional one in accuracy by interrogation of synthetic and real (digital) PIV images and the interrogation results are discussed. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (59936140 and 59876038)     

The accuracy of tomographic particle image velocimetry for measurements of a turbulent boundary layer

To investigate the accuracy of tomographic particle image velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) for turbulent boundary layer measurements, a series of synthetic image-based simulations and practical experiments are performed on a high Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer at Re_θ = 7,800. Two different approaches to Tomo-PIV are examined using a full-volume slab measurement and a thin-volume “fat” light sheet approach. Tomographic reconstruction is performed using both the standard MART technique and the more efficient MLOS-SMART approach, showing a 10-time increase in processing speed. Random and bias errors are quantified under the influence of the near-wall velocity gradient, reconstruction method, ghost particles, seeding density and volume thickness, using synthetic images. Experimental Tomo-PIV results are compared with hot-wire measurements and errors are examined in terms of the measured mean and fluctuating profiles, probability density functions of the fluctuations, distributions of fluctuating divergence through the volume and velocity power spectra. Velocity gradients have a large effect on errors near the wall and also increase the errors associated with ghost particles, which convect at mean velocities through the volume thickness. Tomo-PIV provides accurate experimental measurements at low wave numbers; however, reconstruction introduces high noise levels that reduces the effective spatial resolution. A thinner volume is shown to provide a higher measurement accuracy at the expense of the measurement domain, albeit still at a lower effective spatial resolution than planar and Stereo-PIV.     

A new method of visualizing liquid flows and measuring velocity fields

A method of visualizing and measuring the velocity field of a liquid flow proposed at the Institute of Mechanics at the Moscow State University in 1967 [3] is discussed. It consists of creating and measuring the size of an artificial cavity behind an extended cavity forming body with small transverse dimension (cavitation probe) placed across the flow at a given position. Because the transverse dimension of the probe is small, the flow deformation is slight.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 101–108, March–April, 1982.     

Investigation of the flow in a circular cavity using stereo and tomographic particle image velocimetry

The turbulent flow over a circular cavity with an aspect ratio of D/H = 2 is investigated by multi-planar stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and with tomographic particle image velocimetry (PIV). The main aim of the study is the flow topology and the turbulent structure of the asymmetrical flow pattern that forms inside the cavity at these specific conditions. The flow field is measured in the vertical symmetry plane to describe the overall recirculation pattern in the cavity and the turbulent shear layer developing from the separation point. In this specific regime the shear layer fluctuations are recognized as those caused by instabilities together with the effect of the incoming boundary layer turbulence. Additional observations performed at several wall-parallel planes at different height inside the cavity allow to further evaluate the secondary flow circulation generated by this asymmetric regime. The observed flow pattern consists of a steady vortex, occupying the entire cavity volume and placed diagonally inside the cavity such to entrain the external flow from one side, capture it into a circulatory motion and eject it from the opposite side of the cavity. The spatial distribution of the turbulent fluctuations also reveals the same structure. The tomographic PIV measurement returns a visual inspection to the instantaneous three-dimensional structure of the turbulent fluctuations, which at the investigated height exhibit a low level of coherence with slightly elongated vortices in the recirculating flow inside the cavity.     

Application of particle image velocimetry to combusting flows: design considerations and uncertainty assessment

Methodological aspects concerning the application of the PIV technique to the study of turbulent flames are discussed in this paper. The physical features of the flow, which have implications for the experimental set-up, image processing and measurement accuracy are identified. Design considerations are developed focusing on several factors: spatial resolution, particle performance, seeding technique, image formation and recording, and image post-processing for the evaluation of the displacement. Relevant uncertainty concerns are related to the effect of the thermophoretic force, acting on a seeding particle while crossing the flame front, and to the non-homogeneity and time-dependence of the refractive index field. The uncertainty due to thermophoresis is assessed by numerically studying the motion of a particle crossing a reference temperature profile. The effect of the refractive index variation is evaluated by means of theoretical analysis of light propagation and image formation, supported by experimental tests designed for this special purpose. Received: 25 November 1999/Accepted: 31 March 2000     

Analysis and treatment of errors due to high velocity gradients in particle image velocimetry

This paper deals with errors occurring in two-dimensional cross-correlation particle image velocimetry (PIV) algorithms (with window shifting), when high velocity gradients are present. A first bias error is due to the difference between the Lagrangian displacement of a particle and the real velocity. This error is calculated theoretically as a function of the velocity gradients, and is shown to reach values up to 1 pixel if only one window is translated. However, it becomes negligible when both windows are shifted in a symmetric way. A second error source is linked to the image pattern deformation, which decreases the height of the correlation peaks. In order to reduce this effect, the windows are deformed according to the velocity gradients in an iterative process. The problem of finding a sufficiently reliable starting point for the iteration is solved by applying a Gaussian filter to the images for the first correlation. Tests of a PIV algorithm based on these techniques are performed, showing their efficiency, and allowing the determination of an optimum time separation between images for a given velocity field. An application of the new algorithm to experimental particle images containing concentrated vortices is shown.     

Scanning liquid-crystal thermometry and stereo velocimetry for simultaneous three-dimensional measurement of temperature and velocity field in a turbulent Rayleigh-Bérnard convection

In this paper, we report on an experimental technique for the simultaneous measurement of temperature and three components of velocity in a three-dimensional thermal flow using scanning liquid-crystal thermometry and stereo velocimetry. The temperature is measured by the color image analysis of the liquid-crystal particles suspended in a fluid, while the three velocity components are measured by stereo particle image velocimetry (stereo PIV) with the aid of tracer particles. The measurement is carried out by scanning the light-sheet plane while capturing the sequential color images of the liquid crystals and tracer particles. This measurement allows the reconstruction of the three-dimensional distribution of temperature and full velocity field simultaneously. The present experimental technique is applied to the horizontal fluid layer of a turbulent Rayleigh-Bérnard convection and the three-dimensional structures of thermal plumes are evaluated. The experimental results indicate that the structures of plumes are often correlated with the vertical velocity of the fluid, but they behave randomly in space, influenced by the large-scale turbulence evident in the middle of the fluid layer.     

Deep field noise in holographic particle image velocimetry (HPIV): numerical and experimental particle image field modelling

 Holographic recording overcomes the limits in 2-D particle image velocimetry (PIV) to cover a 3-D flow field volume. Interrogation by focusing on single planes in a reconstructed particle field is disturbed by noise from out-of-focus particles. A numerical simulation models image reconstruction and shows how validation rates depend on aperture and volume depth. An experimental model environment of scattering particles in moveable plastic slices gives support to the numerical results. Simulations and tests are carried out for interrogation by autocorrelation and crosscorrelation techniques and furnish guidelines for system design. Received: 27 December 1996 / Accepted: 14 August 1997     

A spatial correlation technique for estimating velocity fields using molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV)

A direct spatial image correlation technique is presented for estimating the Lagrangian displacement vector from image pairs based on molecular tagging diagnostics. The procedure provides significant improvement in measurement accuracy compared to existing approaches for molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) analysis. Furthermore, this technique is of more general utility in that it is able to accommodate other laser tagging patterns besides the usual grid arrangement. Simulations are performed to determine the effects of many experimental and processing issues on the sub-pixel accuracy of displacement estimates. The results provide guidelines for optimizing the implementation of MTV. Experimental data in support of this processing technique are provided.     

Differential and algebraic models for the second moments of particle velocity and temperature fluctuations in turbulent flows

Differential and algebraic models are constructed for the dispersed-phase turbulent stresses and heat fluxes and for the mixed moments of the velocity and temperature fluctuations in the continuous and dispersed phases. The models are based on a kinetic equation for the joint probability density of the particle velocity and temperature in an anisotropic turbulent flow. The results are compared with the available direct numerical simulation (DNS) data.     

Tracer particle generation in superfluid helium through cryogenic liquid injection for particle image velocimetry (PIV) applications

This paper reports the first experimental study of liquid neon injection into superfluid helium (He II) through a plain orifice atomizer to explore different means of introducing micron-size tracer particles into a He II bath for particle image velocimetry (PIV) applications. The obtained results verify that the direct injection of liquid neon into He II introduces seed particles into the He II bath. It is also demonstrated that the particle sizes can be controlled by changing the pressure above the injected liquid. Additionally, the size distribution of the particles is calculated from the PIV results through the use of the correlations to the standard drag curve.