A laboratory modeling of the velocity field in the convective boundary layer with the particle image velocimetry technique

Abstract

Based on the research of the convective boundary layer (CBL) temperature field in a convective tank, this paper studies the characteristics of the CBL velocity field in the convective tank. Aluminium powder (400 orders) is used as a tracer particle in the application of the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The experiment demonstrates: the velocity distribution in the mixed layer clearly possesses the characteristics of CBL thermals; the velocity distribution in the top zone of the mixed layer shows entrainment layer characteristics; the vertical distribution of turbulent characteristic variables is reasonable, which is similar to field observations and other tank results; the error analysis demonstrates the validity of aluminium powder, which implies the reliability of the results.