On the application of a supercontinuum white light laser for simultaneous measurements of temperature and velocity fields using thermochromic liquid crystals

Abstract

Simultaneous velocity and temperature measurements using thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC) as tracer particles are discussed, with regard to measuring range, uncertainty and spatial resolution. For the first time, a supercontinuum laser is used to illuminate these particles, which shall later be used for the characterization of the momentum and heat transfer in Rayleigh-Bénard cells with high aspect ratio using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and particle image thermometry (PIT). Light scattered from the TLCs is analyzed by spectrometer measurements, revealing its general scattering characteristics depending on the angle between the light sheet plane and the viewing axis. It is shown that white light sources with continuous spectral characteristic and a slightly higher fraction of light in the red wavelength range perform well, thereby the supercontinuum white light laser can be used, even though it has a cut-in wavelength of about 475 nm. The numerical aperture of the detection optics and chromatic aberrations of the laser light significantly affect the temperature sensitivity and dynamic range of the color of the TLCs. This may cause an effective temperature sensitivity range of about one-tenth of their nominal range, particularly at large angles between light sheet plane and viewing axis, as usually applied in PIV. A simultaneous velocity and temperature measurement in a Rayleigh-Bénard cell experimentally validates that the use of the supercontinuum laser allows for reliable simultaneous PIV and PIT measurements with high spatial resolution of less than 500 µm in out-of-plane direction, on condition that an appropriate two-dimensional calibration is applied.