Digital Particle Image Velocimetry Research Articles

An experimental study of a bio-inspired corrugated airfoil for micro air vehicle applications

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of a bio-inspired corrugated airfoil compared with a smooth-surfaced airfoil and a flat plate at the chord Reynolds number of ReC = 58,000–125,000 to explore the potential applications of such bio-inspired corrugated airfoils for micro air vehicle designs. In addition to measuring the aerodynamic lift and drag forces acting on the tested airfoils, a digital particle image velocimetry system was used to conduct detailed flowfield measurements to quantify the transient behavior of vortex and turbulent flow structures around the airfoils. The measurement result revealed clearly that the corrugated airfoil has better performance over the smooth-surfaced airfoil and the flat plate in providing higher lift and preventing large-scale flow separation and airfoil stall at low Reynolds numbers (ReC < 100,000). While aerodynamic performance of the smooth-surfaced airfoil and the flat plate would vary considerably with the changing of the chord Reynolds numbers, the aerodynamic performance of the corrugated airfoil was found to be almost insensitive to the Reynolds numbers. The detailed flow field measurements were correlated with the aerodynamic force measurement data to elucidate underlying physics to improve our understanding about how and why the corrugation feature found in dragonfly wings holds aerodynamic advantages for low Reynolds number flight applications.

Flow characteristics in energy dissipation units of labyrinth path in the drip irrigation emitters with DPIV technology

The energy dissipation mechanism and anti-clogging properties of drip irrigation emitters are closely related to flow characteristics of the fluid in its flow paths, and flow field tests using modern flow visual technologies were carried out by a large number of designers. The Digital Particle ImageVelocimetry (DPIV) system was built for un-disturbed flow tests in the labyrinth path. In this article, the flow field was measured in the flow path section, the structural unit and the local region near sawtooth. Under the pressure level of 10 Kpa, 50 Kpa, 100 Kpa and 150 Kpa, the flows in the two labyrinth paths were in the turbulence state, with flow stagnation regions and whirlpool regions in the structure of the labyrinth path sections. The flow stagnation regions should be eliminated as much as possible. But the vortex should be fully developed, which could increase the self-cleaning capacity and the anti-clogging capacity of the emitter. With respect to the anti-clogging performance and the energy loss efficiency of the emitter, the M-type flow path is better than the K-type flow path.

Experimental investigation of flow over a backward-facing step in proximity to a flexible wall

Turbulent flow between a flexible wall and a solid surface containing a backward-facing step (BFS) was investigated using digital particle image velocimetry and high-speed photography. Stationary sheet of paper under tension was positioned above the solid surface in proximity to the BFS. The incoming air flow emerged from a planar nozzle that was located in the solid wall upstream of the BFS. Flows corresponding to two values of the Reynolds number (3,000 and 3,600) based on the step height and the maximum flow velocity at the step location were characterized in terms of patterns of time-averaged velocity, out-of-plane vorticity, streamline topology, and turbulence statistics. In addition, paper sheet oscillation was characterized using high-speed photography. For the control case of a solid upper wall with the geometry that represented the time-averaged paper profile, hydrodynamic frequencies were characterized using unsteady pressure measurements. Frequencies of the natural vibration modes of the paper sheet were well separated from the hydrodynamic frequencies corresponding to the oscillations of the shear layer downstream of the BFS. As the inflow velocity increased, the paper sheet was pulled closer to the solid surface, which resulted in increased confinement of the incoming jet. The flow reattachment length calculated on the basis of time-averaged flow patterns increased with the increasing Reynolds number.

Three-component velocity field measurement in confined liquid flows with high-speed digital image plane holography

In the last years, several techniques have been developed for the measurement of the three velocity components in a fluid plane or volume. Techniques as stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) or tomographic PIV need a complex set-up and present serious restrictions when applied to confined liquid flows. Other like digital holographic PIV has some limitations in the particle concentration that can be measured. In this work, high-speed digital image plane holography has been applied for the measurement of the three velocity components in a complex geometry brain aneurysm model, using a two-cavity high-speed laser, one double frame camera and normal visualization, like in regular PIV. A portable and compact system has been built for adapting the high-speed laser short coherence length to the measurement of larger areas.

와류 생성기를 이용한 수직벽 후류 제어의 실험적 연구

The effect of vortex generators to manipulate the separated flow region behind the vertical fence was experimentally investigated. The experiments were performed in the circulating water channel. The parameters used in this study were the distance between the fence and vortex generators and size of vortex generators. Digital PIV method was applied to measure the instantaneous velocity fields around the fence. And the obtained flow properties were compared with those of fence How without the vortex generators. The obtained results quantitatively shows the specific size and distance of vortex generators which were effective to reduce the mean reattachment length of separation bubble behind the fence.

Sensitivity of Lagrangian coherent structure identification to flow field resolution and random errors

The effect of spatial and temporal resolutions and random errors on identification of Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) from Eulerian velocity fields is evaluated using two canonical flows: a two-dimensional vortex pair and a vortex ring formed by transient ejection of a jet from a tube. The flow field for the vortex pair case was steady and obtained analytically while the transient vortex ring flow was simulated using computational fluid dynamics. To evaluate resolution and random error effects, the flow fields were degraded by locally smoothing the flow and sampling it on a sparser grid to reduce spatial resolution, adding Gaussian distributed random noise to provide random errors, and/or subsampling the time series of vector fields to reduce the temporal resolution (the latter applying only for the vortex ring case). The degradation methods were meant to emulate distortions and errors introduced in common flow measurement methods such as digital particle image velocimetry. Comparing the LCS corresponding to the vortex boundary (separatrix) obtained from the degraded velocity fields with the true separatrix (obtained analytically for the vortex pair case or from high resolution, noise-free velocity fields for the vortex ring case) showed that noise levels as low as 5%-10% of the vortex velocity can cause the separatrix to significantly deviate from its true location in a random fashion, but the "mean" location still remained close to the true location. Temporal and spatial resolution degradations were found to primarily affect transient portions of the flow with strong spatial gradients. Significant deviations in the location of the separatrix were observed even for spatial resolutions as high as 2% of the jet diameter for the vortex ring case.

Using hyperbolic Lagrangian coherent structures to investigate vortices in bioinspired fluid flows

We use direct Lyapunov exponents to identify Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) in a bioinspired fluid flow: the wakes of rigid pitching panels with a trapezoidal planform geometry chosen to model idealized fish caudal fins. When compared with commonly used Eulerian criteria, the Lagrangian method has previously exhibited the ability to define structure boundaries without relying on a preselected threshold. In addition, qualitative changes in the LCS have previously been shown to correspond to physical changes in the vortex structure. For this paper, digital particle image velocimetry experiments were performed to obtain the time-resolved velocity fields for Strouhal numbers of 0.17 and 0.27. A classic reverse von Karman vortex street pattern was observed along the midspan of the near wake at low Strouhal number, but at higher Strouhal number the complexity of the wake increased downstream of the trailing edge. The spanwise vortices spread transversely across the wake and lose coherence, and this event was shown to correspond to a qualitative change in the LCS at the same time and location.

Effect of turbulence modelling on the computation of the near-wake flow of a circular cylinder

An evaluation of four well-known Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)-based turbulence models was performed in comparison with the results of a dedicated experimental measurement on the near-wake of a circular cylinder in a large water (cavitation) tunnel using a state-of-the-art two-dimensional Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) device. The turbulence models investigated were Spalart–Allmaras (S–A), Realizable k– ε (RKE), Wilcox k– ω (WKO) and Shear-Stress-Transport k– ω (SST), which were assessed based on their comparative performances in predicting some important flow field characteristics of the near-wake region of the experimental circular cylinder flow. Within the flow range investigated in this study, which implied a cylinder diameter-based Reynolds Number of 41,300, the qualitative and quantitative comparisons revealed that the application of the SST model to the wall-bounded unsteady flow – that experienced severe adverse pressure gradient, massive flow separation and vortex shedding – presents more successful predictions compared to other models investigated for such challenging flow conditions.

Recent advances in digital particle image velocimetry methods for flow motion analysis

The advent of charge-coupled devices (CCD) has significantly extended the horizons of full-field measurement methods in many fields of fundamental and applied sciences, including fluid flow dynamics. One of the major applications of imaging sensors in fluid mechanics is the Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV), which is a non-invasive, full field optical measuring technique. Due to recent advances in image processing methods, and in digital imaging, laser and optics DPIV has become a dominant tool for obtaining velocity information about fluid motion. On the other hand, over the last years, developments in micro- and nanofluidic systems have promised a shrinking of the desktop-sized chemical and biological devices to microscale size, so a detailed investigation of the behaviour of flow inside these microdevices is essential for the optimum design of microsystems, as well as for an understanding of flow dynamics in micron scales. In this work, the advances in visualization and quantitative measurements of flow velocity measurements are reviewed and explained.

Characteristics of Three-dimensional Vortex Formation and Propulsive Performance in Flapping Locomotion

Three-dimensional vortex formation and propulsive performance were studied experimentally to identify some of the main characteristic mechanisms of flapping locomotion. Mechanical models with thin plates were used to simulate flapping and translating motions of animal propulsors. Three-dimensional flow fields were mapped quantitatively using defocusing digital particle image velocimetry. First, vortex structures made by impulsively translating low aspect-ratio plates were studied. The investigation of translating plates with a 90 degree angle of attack is important since it is a fundamental model for a better understanding of drag-based propulsion systems. Rectangular flat-rigid, flexible, and curved-rigid thin plastic plates with the same aspect ratio were used to compare their vortex structures and hydrodynamic forces. The interaction of the tip flow and the nearby vortex is a critical flow phenomenon to distinguish vortex patterns among these three cases. In the flexible plate case, slow development of the vortex structure causes a small initial peak in hydrodynamic force during the acceleration phase. However, after the initial peak, the flexible plate generates large force magnitude comparable to that of the flat-rigid plate case. Drag-based paddling propulsion was also studied to explain some of the fundamental differences in vortex formation of lift-based and drag-based propulsions. While the temporal change of the inner area enclosed by the vortex loop is an important factor in thrust generation of lift-based propulsion, the temporal change of the vortex strength becomes more important in drag-based propulsion. Spanwise flow behind the paddling plate plays an important role in tip vortex motion and thrust generation. The distribution of spanwise flow depends on the propulsor shape and the Reynolds number. A delta-shaped propulsor generates strong spanwise flow compared to a rectangular propulsor. For the low Reynolds number case, the spanwise flow is not as strong as that of the high Reynolds number case. The flexible propulsor can smooth out force peaks during impulsive motions without sacrificing total impulse, which is advantageous in avoiding structural failures and stabilizing body motion. The role of the stopping vortex was addressed in optimizing a stroke angle of paddling animals. In addition, vortex formation of clapping propulsion was investigated by varying aspect ratio and stroke angle. A low aspect-ratio propulsor produces larger total impulse than a high aspect-ratio propulsor. As the aspect ratio increases, circulation of the vortex is strengthened, and the inner area enclosed by the vortex structure tends to enlarge. Moreover, in terms of thrust, the advantage of a single plate over double clapping plates is larger for the lower aspect-ratio case. These results offer information to better understand the benefit of low aspect-ratio wings in force generation under specific locomotion modes. When a pair of plates claps, a vortex loop forms from two counter-rotating tip vortices by a reconnection process. The dynamics of wake structures are dependent on the aspect ratio and the stroke angle. Vortex formation and vorticity transport processes of translating and rotating plates with a 45 degree angle of attack were investigated as well. In both translating and rotating cases, the spanwise flow over the plate and the vorticity tilting process inside the leading-edge vortex were observed. The distribution of spanwise flow is a prominent distinction between the vortex structures of these two cases. While spanwise flow is confined inside the leading-edge vortex for the translating case, it is widely present over the plate and the wake region of the rotating case. As the Reynolds number decreases, due to the increase in viscosity, leading-edge and tip vortices tend to spread inside the area swept by the rotating plate, which results in lower lift force generation. Lastly, for translating motion, the dynamics of the vortex in corner regions was compared among three different corner shapes. For a large corner angle, the forward movement of the vortex tends to be uniform along the plate edges. However, for a small corner angle, the vortex close to the corner moves forward following the plate while the vortex away from the corner retards its forward movement.

Effect of self-issuing jets along the span on the near-wake of a square cylinder

The study herein focuses on the vortex shedding characteristics and near-wake vorticity patterns of a square cylinder having self-issuing jets through holes along its span. Three different values of spacing between the consecutive holes λ with respect to the cylinder diameter D, i.e., λ/D = 1.5, 3 and 4 are studied experimentally via Digital Particle Image Velocimetry for the Reynolds number range extending from 200 to 1,000. It has been observed that the three-dimensionality of the wake flow depends on the spacing between the holes and Re number. For sufficiently low Reynolds numbers, the jet flows issuing from the holes yield a non-uniform distribution of mean flow characteristics like the shedding frequency and the formation length of vortices along the span of the cylinder when the spacing between jets along centerline is close to wavelength of the naturally existing three-dimensional wake instability. Additionally, for Re number up to 500, the self-issuing jets emanating from the holes show an indirect interaction with shear layers originating from upper and lower separation lines of the cylinder. However, for higher Re numbers of 750 and 1,000, they directly interact with and modify the vortices forming from the cylinder.

Empirical description of flow parameters in eccentric flow inside a silo model

The paper presents the methodology of empirical description and statistical analysis of velocity profiles that were depicted by the Digital Particle Image Velocimetry technique (DPIV). Experimental runs were recorded by the high resolution camera in the model with vertical walls. Here we analyze the eccentric discharge with the outlet located in the bottom close to the right vertical wall of the model. On the base of the experimental results we present an empirical analysis of velocities and calculation of the flow rate in two proposed descriptions of the flow. Velocity functions were presented by the exponential function (the modified Gauss type), by the multiple regression and by the ch function. Also the flow rate was calculated for two presented descriptions. Empirical calculations of the stagnant zone boundary was also presented using the readings from velocity profiles.

An experimental investigation into the effect of vortex generators on the near-wake flow of a circular cylinder

The effect of the streamwise vortex generators on the near-wake flow structure of a circular cylinder was experimentally investigated. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) measurements were performed in a large circulating water tunnel facility at a Reynolds number of 41,300 where the flow around a bare cylinder was expected to be at the sub-critical flow state. In order to capture various flow properties and to provide a detailed wake flow topology, the DPIV images were analysed with three different but complementary flow field decomposition techniques which are Reynolds averaging, phase averaging and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). The effect of the vortex generators was clearly demonstrated both in qualitative and in quantitative manner. Various topological features such as vorticity and stress distribution of the flow fields as well as many other key flow characteristics including the length scales and the Strouhal number were discussed in the study. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study presents the first DPIV visualization of the near-wake flow of a circular cylinder fitted with the vortex generators in the open literature.

Tsunami Bore Impingement onto a Vertical Column

In a laboratory wave tank, bores were generated by dam-break: by lifting a gate that initially separated quiescent shallow water from a volume of impounded water. The study was motivated by the problem of tsunami-structure interaction and sought to further the understanding of interactions between the bore-like flow of a broken tsunami wave and structures of different cross sections. Experiments were designed to observe the structure’s effect on the bore as well as the bore’s effect on the structure. This comprehensive study used highly repeatable experiments to measure water-surface variations, velocity flow fields, and forces exerted by bores on vertically erected columns. The temporal and spatial variations of the water-surface elevations were quantified with a Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) technique; velocity flow fields were recorded with a combination of Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) and Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV); forces on the columns were measured with a miniature load-cell transducer. The laboratory data obtained in the study are available for validating numerical models that predict forces on structures in unsteady flows.

Flow-Field Measurement of Embedded Streamwise Vortex Generated from Passive Flow-Control Devices

Detailed flow-field measurements were performed downstream of a single vortex generator (VG) using a Stereo Digital Particle Image Velocimetry system. The passive flow-control devices examined consisted of a low-profile VG with a device height, h, approximately equal to 20 percent of the boundary-layer thickness, Δ, and a conventional VG with h ≈ Δ. Flow-field data were taken at twelve cross-flow planes downstream of the VG to document and quantify the evolution of embedded streamwise vortex. Key parameters including vorticity, circulation, trajectory, and half-life radius—describing concentration, strength, path, and size, respectively—of the device-induced streamwise vortex were extracted from the flow-field data. Peak vorticity and circulation for the low-profile VG decayed exponentially to the distance downstream from the device. The device-height normalized vortex trajectories for the low-profile VG, especially in the lateral direction, followed the general trends of the conventional VG.

Vortex modes in the wake of an oscillating long flexible cylinder combining POD and fuzzy clustering

A method combining proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and Fuzzy Clustering (FC) is used as a pattern recognition technique, in order to identify vortex modes in digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) data, obtained in the wake of a long flexible circular cylinder undergoing vortex-induced vibrations. The POD allows a low-dimensional description of the wake, so the the fuzzy c-means algorithm can be used for clustering in a reduced order problem. The output is a set of well-defined flow clusters representing the vortex patterns found in the wake. This methodology provides an alternative, easier to automate when dealing with large amounts of data, to instantaneous or phase averaged representations of vortex wakes. Phase averaging becomes difficult and tedious when applied as in this case, to wakes of bluff bodies undergoing non-periodic motions. The DPIV data were obtained at two elevations along the length of a long flexible circular cylinder model, which had an aspect ratio (length over diameter) of about 94. The experiments were carried out in a water channel with flow speeds up to 0.75 m/s, giving Reynolds numbers, based on the external diameter of the cylinder, in the range from 1,200 to 12,000. The set-up allowed changes in the fundamental natural frequencies, which resulted in reduced velocities based on that frequency (velocity divided by frequency and external diameter), up to 15. The mass ratio of the model (mass divided by mass of displaced fluid) was around 1.8.

Experimental study of a pickup truck near wake

Abstract The present study focuses on the aerodynamics of pickup trucks. The flow about a generic pickup truck has been documented experimentally. The main objective is to gain a better understanding of the pickup truck aerodynamics through mean and unsteady pressure measurements as well as detailed flow field measurements using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Of particular interest and complexity are the symmetric and asymmetric separated vortex flows which develop behind the cab and the tailgate. A secondary objective is to obtain a comprehensive experimental data set for validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The experiments were conducted at Reynolds numbers in the range of 5–8.5×105 in an open return wind tunnel equipped with two-frame digital PIV system. The mean pressure results of the pickup truck show that the pressure outside the tailgate is higher than inside the tailgate suggesting that the tailgate reduces aerodynamic drag. The root-mean-square (rms) values of pressure fluctuations at the cab back is very low and increases significantly towards the back of the bed and the tailgate top edge. Pressure fluctuation spectra indicate a spectral peak at a Strouhal number of ∼0.07. Velocity field measurements of the near wake flow show a relatively quiet region behind the cab and no recirculating flow region in the symmetry plane behind the tailgate. Instead there is a strong downwash at the symmetry plane behind the tailgate. This downwash is due to the existence of a pair of counter-rotating vortices downstream of the tailgate. The downwash promotes attached flow behind the tailgate, thus resulting in a pressure recovery that reduces drag.

Growth Mode Transition of Tetrahydrofuran Clathrate Hydrates in the Guest/Host Concentration Boundary Layer

Clathrate hydrates are known to form a thin film along a guest/host boundary. We present here the first report of tetrahydrofuran (THF) clathrate hydrate formation in a THF/water concentration boundary layer. We found that the THF-water system also forms a hydrate film separating the guest/host phases. The lateral growth rate of the film increases as supercooling increases. The thickness of the film at the growth tip decreases as supercooling and the lateral growth rate increase. These tendencies are consistent with reports of experiments for other hydrates and predictions of heat-transfer models. After film formation and slight melting, two types of growth modes are observed, depending on temperature T. At T = 3.0 degrees C, the film slowly thickens. The thickening rate is much lower than the lateral growth rate, as reported for other hydrates. At T < or = 2.0 degrees C, however, the growth mode transitions spontaneously from film growth to continuous nucleation, and an agglomerate of small polycrystalline hydrates forms in each phase. Grain boundaries in the film and pore spaces in the agglomerate act as paths for permeation of each liquid. Timing when continuous nucleation starts is dominantly controlled by the time of initiation of liquid permeation through the film. Digital particle image velocimetry analysis of the agglomerate shows that it expands not by growth at the advancing front but rather by continuous nucleation in the interior. Expansion rates of the agglomerate tend to be higher for the cases of multipermeation paths in the film and the thinner film. We suppose that the growth mode transition to continuous nucleation is caused by the memory effect due to slight melting of the hydrate film.

Echocardiographic Particle Image Velocimetry: A Novel Technique for Quantification of Left Ventricular Blood Vorticity Pattern

In this study, the functionality of echocardiographic particle imaging velocimetry (E-PIV) was compared with that of digital particle imaging velocimetry (D-PIV) in an in vitro model. In addition, its capability was assessed in the clinical in vivo setting to obtain the ventricular flow pattern in normal subjects, in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, and in patients with mechanical and bioprosthetic mitral valves. A silicon sac simulating the human left ventricle in combination with prosthetic heart valves, controlled by a pulsed-flow duplicator, was used as the in vitro model. Particle-seeded flow images were acquired (1) using a high-speed camera from the mid plane of the sac, illuminated by a laser sheet for D-PIV, and (2) using a Siemens Sequoia system at a frame rate of 60 Hz for E-PIV. Data analysis was performed with PIVview software for D-PIV and Omega Flow software for E-PIV. E-PIV processing was then applied to contrast echocardiographic image sets obtained during left ventricular cavity opacification with a lipid-shelled microbubble agent to assess spatial patterns of intracavitary flow in the clinical setting. The velocity vectors obtained using both the E-PIV and the D-PIV methods compared well for the direction of flow. The streamlines were also found to be similar in the data obtained using both methods. However, because of the superior spatial resolution of D-PIV, some smaller scale details were not revealed by E-PIV. The application of E-PIV to the human heart resulted in reproducible flow patterns in echocardiographic images taken within different time frames or by independent examiners. The E-PIV technique appears to be capable of evaluating the major flow features in the ventricles. However, the bounded spatial resolution of ultrasound imaging limits the small-scale features of ventricular flow to be revealed.

A dual-camera cinematographic PIV measurement system at kilohertz frame rate for high-speed, unsteady flows

A digital dual-camera cinematographic particle image velocimetry (CPIV) system has been developed to provide time-resolved, high resolution flow measurements in high-Reynolds number, turbulent flows. Two high-speed CMOS cameras were optically combined to acquire double-pulsed CPIV images at kilohertz frame rates. Bias and random errors due to camera misalignment, camera vibration, and lens aberration were corrected or estimated. Systematic errors due to the camera misalignment were reduced to less than 2 pixels throughout the image plane using mechanical alignment, resulting in 3.1% positional uncertainty of velocity measurements. Frame-to-frame uncertainties caused by mechanical vibration were eliminated with the aid of digital image calibration and frame-to-frame camera registration. This dual-camera CPIV system is capable of resolving high speed, unsteady flows with high temporal and spatial resolutions. It also allows time intervals between the two exposures down to 4 μs, enabling the measurements of speed flows 5–10 times higher than possible with frame-straddling using similar cameras. A turbulent shallow cavity was then chosen as the experimental object investigated by this dual-camera CPIV technique.