Flow Measurements Research Articles

Wavelet Cross-Correlation Signal Processing for Two-Phase Flow Control System in Oil Well Production

An algorithm based on continuous measurement of multiphase flows of oil well production has been designed to improve the efficiency of the technical control of oil production processes in the field. Separation-free, non-contact measurement of multiphase flows of oil well products allows increasing the efficiency of managing oil production processes in the field. Monitoring the current density using radioisotope measuring transducers (RMTs) allows obtaining information about the structure of the flow in the form of the distribution of gas inclusions and the speed of movement of liquid and gas in a two-phase flow. Fluid velocity measurement is based on digital processing of RMT signals, applying a continuous or discrete undecimated wavelet transform to them, and assessing the cross-correlation of wavelet coefficients in individual subspaces of the wavelet decomposition. The cross-correlation coefficients of two RMT signals located at a base distance, calculated in the subspaces of the wavelet decomposition, characterize the speed of movement of gas bubbles of different sizes in a vertical pipe. The measurement assumes that the velocity of the liquid phase of the oil flow in a vertical pipe mainly corresponds to the velocity of small bubbles. This speed should be determined by the maximum cross-correlation of wavelet coefficients in the corresponding decomposition subspace. Computer modeling made it possible to evaluate the characteristics of the algorithm for controlling the speed of liquid movement in the gas–liquid flow of oil well products and determine the mass flow rate of the liquid and the relative value of the gas content. The implementation of the algorithm in a multi-channel version of the device allows monitoring an entire cluster of wells in the field.

The Role of Platelets and Aneurysm Thrombus in the EVAR Post Implantation Syndrome

ObjectivePost implantation syndrome (PIS) is a well-defined entity with unclear etiology, complicating a number of patients with AAAs treated with EVAR. The aim of this study was to assess the platelets’ role and the influence of aneurysmal sac thrombus volumes in the development of PIS. DesignA retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was performed and 76 patients that were treated by EVAR (2011-2013) were studied. Aneurysms with endoleak were not included in the study. Based on the criteria for SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), 17 patients (22%) developed PIS (which is considered a SIRS analogue), while 59 (78%) did not. MethodsThe two groups were compared in relation to the following parameters: baseline platelet count (PLT), decrease of platelet count (PLT drop), volume of the arterial flow before the procedure (V Flow), volume of thrombus of the aneurysm (V thromb), ratio of thrombus volume to aneurysm sac volume (V ratio) and the volume of new formed thrombus (V new). Volume flow measurements were calculated by Osirix ™ software preoperatively and in the 1st month postoperatively. Parametric and non-parametric techniques (unpaired t-test, Mann-Whitney U test) were used accordingly. ResultsBaseline platelets absolute count was greater in the PIS group (239000 ± 17000) vs. the non-PIS group (194000 ± 6900, p=0.004), and the PLT drop was larger in the PIS group (74000 ± 15600 vs. 45000 ± 5300, p=0.019). No difference was found regarding the aneurysm volumes (Vflow, Vthromb, Vratio, Vnew) between the two groups. ConclusionPlatelets, in terms of their absolute baseline count and their decrease after the procedure, seem to be an important factor in developing PIS after EVAR. Further, more tailored studies are needed to elucidate the role of platelets and flow/thrombus volumes in the development of PIS.

Online Flow Measurement of Liquid Metal Solutions Based on Impact Force Sequences: Modeling Analysis, Simulation, and Validation of Experimental Results.

Aiming at the existing high-temperature liquid metal flow online accurate measurement by the metal melt characteristics, installation space, and high-temperature environment adaptability limitations, this paper innovatively puts forward a soft measurement method based on the impact force generated in the fluid flow process as an observational variable series. Fluid mechanics theory and simulation software are used to analyze and verify the feasibility of the impact force as an observable variable to measure the flow rate, followed by the construction of the CNN-LSTM-CNN-Double (CLCD) flow measurement model of impact force and flow rate based on the parameters of the learning rate and the number of training times, and finally the construction of a test platform for the flow measurement, and the validity of the method is verified through actual operation.

Synthetic color-and-depth encoded (sCade) illumination-based high-resolution light field particle imaging velocimetry.

Light-field particle imaging velocimetry (LF-PIV) is widely used in large-scale flow field measurement scenarios due to its instant 3D imaging capability. However, conventional LF-PIV systems suffer low axial resolution and thereby have limited application in high-resolution and volumetric velocity measurements. Here, we report the use of synthetic color-and-depth-encoded (sCade) illumination to improve the axial resolution of LF-PIV. The sCade LF-PIV illuminated the imaging region with a color-and-depth encoded beam synthesized by structured beams of three lasers with distinct wavelengths and attained high-fidelity particle localization by decoding the color and depth information encoded in the acquired image. We systematically characterized the system performance by imaging particles and obtained 29 times improvement in axial resolution when compared to traditional LF-PIV. The high axial resolution of sCade LF-PIV allowed it to reconstruct vortices generated by square lid-driven cavity flow and a stirring disk with higher accuracy and smaller errors than the conventional method, highlighting the possibility and advantage of sCade LF-PIV for high-resolution and volumetric flow measurement applications. This approach can favorably advance the development of fluid measurement technology.

Flow measurement in microfluidic chips through optical trapping and deep learning

Flow measurement in microfluidic chips through optical trapping and deep learning

Measurement of retinal blood flow precision in the human eye with multimodal adaptive optics imaging.

Impaired retinal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation plays a key role in the development and progression of several ocular diseases, including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Clinically, reproducible RBF quantitation could significantly improve early diagnosis and disease management. Several non-invasive techniques have been developed but are limited for retinal microvasculature flow measurements due to their low signal-to-noise ratio and poor lateral resolution. In this study, we demonstrate reproducible vessel caliber and retinal blood flow velocity measurements in healthy human volunteers using a high-resolution (spatial and temporal) multimodal adaptive optics system with scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography.

Effects of buffer composition and plasmid toxicity on electroporation-based non-viral gene delivery in mammalian cells using bursts of nanosecond and microsecond pulses.

Gene electrotransfer (GET) is non-viral gene delivery technique, also known as electroporation-mediated gene delivery or electrotransfection. GET is a method used to introduce foreign genetic material (such as DNA or RNA) into cells by applying external pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to create temporary pores in the cell membrane. This study was undertaken to examine the impact of buffer composition on the efficiency of GET in mammalian cells Also, we specifically compared the effectiveness of high-frequency nanosecond (ns) pulses with standard microsecond (µs) pulses. For the assessment of cell transfection efficiency and viability, flow cytometric analysis, luminescent assays, and measurements of metabolic activity were conducted. The efficiency of electrotransfection was evaluated using two different proteins encoding plasmids (pEGFP-N1 and Luciferase-pcDNA3). The investigation revealed that the composition of the electroporation buffer significantly influences the efficacy of GET in CHO-K1 cell line. The different susceptibility of cell lines to the electric field and the plasmid cytotoxicity were reported. It was also shown that electroporation with nanosecond duration PEF protocols ensured equivalent or even better transfection efficiency than standard µsPEF. Additionally, we successfully performed long-term transfection of the murine 4T1 cell line using high-frequency nanosecond PEFs and confirmed its' applicability in an in vivo model. The findings from the study can be applied to optimize electrotransfection conditions.

On the Performance of a Horizontally Mounted ADCP in an Energetic Tidal Environment for Floating Tidal Turbine Applications.

Incident flow measurement is key in the tidal industry for conducting power performance assessments. This paper explores the use of a horizontally mounted Nortek Signature 500 Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) as a means for incident flow measurement onboard a utility-scale tidal turbine. This study shows that the measurement range of an ADCP mounted horizontally in highly dynamic tidal flow (up to 4 m/s) is less than the maximum range stated by the manufacturer. The ability for the horizontal ADCP to accurately resolve velocities in a multi-beam configuration is also analysed. Effects from both vertical shear and beam selection result in incident flow velocities that differ from a single horizontal beam recording. The maximum measurement range of the instrument is found to depend on current speed and on the proportion of data loss that is acceptable to the user. The ability of the ADCP to record data from the free-stream velocity two equivalent diameters upstream of the O2, as set out by IEC TS 62600-200, is considered. It is found that at this distance, there is 90% data loss. Accepting only 10% data loss across all flow speeds resulted in a maximum range of 31 m for a Nortek Signature 500 in this study. While some limitations of an ADCP deployed horizontally in highly energetic tidal flow are identified, the benefits of mounting the sensor close to the rotor facing horizontally into the incoming flow mean that valuable data are still produced for tidal turbine operators.

Evaluation of coronary microvascular dysfunction using magnetocardiography: A new application to an old technology

BackgroundIn patients with angina and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCA), diagnosis of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) remains an unmet need. Magnetocardiography (MCG), is a rest-based, non-invasive scan that can detect weak electrophysiological changes that occur at the early phase of ischemia. ObjectiveThis study assessed the ability of MCG to detect CMD in ANOCA patients as compared to reference standard, invasive coronary flow reserve (CFR). MethodsPatients with ANOCA and invasive coronary physiologic assessment using intracoronary flow measurements with Doppler and thermodilution methods were enrolled. CMD was defined dichotomously as an invasive CFR < 2.0 by Doppler or thermodilution assessment. Noninvasive 36-channel 90-s MCG scan was performed and quantitative assessment of four distinct MCG features was completed. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of 2 or more abnormal MCG features to detect CMD in the overall cohort and performed a subgroup analysis in the subset of patients with Doppler CFR assessment. ResultsAmong 79 ANOCA patients, 25 were CMD positive and 54 patients were CMD negative by CFR. Using invasive CFR as reference, MCG had an ROC AUC of 0.66 with a sensitivity of 68 % and specificity of 65 % for the detection of CMD. In the subgroup with Doppler CFR assessment, MCG had an ROC AUC of 0.76 with a sensitivity of 75 % and specificity of 77 %. ConclusionsIn ANOCA patients, MCG demonstrates the ability to detect CMD using a 90-second non-invasive scan without the need for an intravenous stressor or ionizing radiation. Further investigations are needed to validate an MCG-based diagnostic pathway for CMD.

Two-Field Excitation for Contactless Inductive Flow Tomography.

Contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT) is a flow measurement technique allowing for visualization of the global flow in electrically conducting fluids. The method is based on the principle of induction by motion: very weak induced magnetic fields arise from the fluid motion under the influence of a primary excitation magnetic field and can be measured precisely outside of the fluid volume. The structure of the causative flow field can be reconstructed from the induced magnetic field values by solving the according linear inverse problem using appropriate regularization methods. The concurrent use of more than one excitation magnetic field is necessary to fully reconstruct three-dimensional liquid metal flows. In our laboratory demonstrator experiment, we impose two excitation magnetic fields perpendicular to each other to a mechanically driven flow of the liquid metal alloy GaInSn. In the first approach, the excitation fields are multiplexed. Here, the temporal resolution of the measurement needs to be kept as high as possible. Consecutive application by multiplexing enables determining the flow structure in the liquid with a temporal resolution down to 3 s with the existing equipment. In another approach, we concurrently apply two sinusoidal excitation fields with different frequencies. The signals are disentangled on the basis of the lock-in principle, enabling a successful reconstruction of the liquid metal flow.

Dissecting the vascular-cognitive nexus: energetic vs. conventional hemodynamic parameters.

Blood pressure or flow measurements have been associated withvascular health and cognitive function. We proposed that energetic hemodynamic parameters may provide a more nuanced understanding and stronger correlation with cognitive function, in comparisons with conventional aortic and carotid pressure and flow parameters. The study comprised 1858 participants, in whom we assessed cognitive function via MoCA method, and measured central aortic and carotid pressure and flow waveforms. In addition to various pressure and flow parameters, we calculated energetic hemodynamic parameters through integration of pressure multiplying flow with respect to time. Energetic hemodynamic parameters, particularly aortic and carotid mean and pulsatile energy and pulsatility index (PI), were significantly associated with MoCA score more than any aortic and carotid pressure and flow parameters, after adjusting for age, sex, education, depression score, heart rate, BMI, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose levels. MoCA exhibited a strong positive relationship with carotid mean energy (standardized beta = 0.053, P = 0.0253) and a negative relationship with carotid energy PI (standardized beta = -0.093, P = 0.0002), exceeding the association with all traditional pressure- or flow-based parameters. Aortic pressure reflection coefficient at the aorto-carotid junction was positively correlated with mean carotid energy and negatively correlated with PI. Aortic characteristic impedance positively correlated with carotid energy PI but not mean energy. Our research indicates that energetic hemodynamic parameters, particularly carotid mean energy and carotid energy PI, have a stronger association with MoCA scores than traditional pressure- or flow-based metrics. This correlation with cognitive function is notably influenced by the properties of the aorto-carotid interface.

Analysis of the Flow Structure inside an Oscillating Sessile Drops in a Shear Flow Using Double-Helix 3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry and Adaptive Optics

The motion and particularly the detachment mechanism of sessile drops in an air-shear-flow is highly relevant for many technical applications. For instance, water drops in fuel cells can block the oxygen transport and thus lower the overall efficiency. Hence, a deeper understanding of the drop detachment mechanism could facilitate efficiency optimisations. Nonetheless, until now only simplified models exist for predicting the critical velocity that do not take into account the mutual interaction of the air and the liquid via the non-rigid interface. One reason for this is the lack of knowledge of the flow inside the oscillating drop. In this contribution, we present the first three-dimensional flow measurements in oscillating sessile drops in shear flow. Time-averaged flow measurements were conducted for different Reynolds numbers. Furthermore, the phase-averaged flow field was measured. The measurements were conducted with a novel 3D-PTV method, which offers scanless three-dimensional flow measurements with a single optical access for a measurement volume that covers about 90 % of the drop volume. Moreover, we present a novel technique for conducting flow measurements through fluctuating gas-liquid interfaces based on adaptive optics. We demonstrate that this technique enables the correction of a systematic error corresponding to the magnitude of the first drop eigenfrequency, which seems to play an important role in the detachment mechanism of drops. The results give new insights about the fluid mechanics of sessile drops and thus may help in the optimisation of drop removal in e. g. fuel cells.

Assessing The Potential Of PIV Data To Resolve Hidden Frequency Scales

The present work investigates the performance of an advection-based flow reconstruction model to increase the temporal resolution of PIV measurements recorded in a turbulent, planar jet. Using a semi-Lagrangian technique in combination with Rapid Distortion Theory, a modified trajectory tracking procedure is implemented. The method introduces a specification for a two-dimensional convective velocity based on the least squares minimization of the linearized advection equation, in contrast to the previously introduced one-dimensional mean velocity profile outlined in Vocke et al. (2023). The new implementation is based on local flow measurements, making it well-suited towards streamwise heterogeneity and spatially developing flows. With this, the flow at some unknown time can be estimated from the know flow measurements at the forward and backward time. Spectral analysis illustrates the model's proficiency in recovering spatiotemporal information far exceeding the Nyquist frequency, with spectral reconstruction errors of less than 5% for the most extreme case. It is demonstrated that the spectral content can be estimated at least two orders of magnitude beyond the sampling frequency of the original recording. Improved performance compared to alternative methods is demonstrated with only minor impact on computational time. This indicates the approach may be used as a tool for experimental researchers a) having no access to a high-speed PIV or b) with high-speed PIV to increase the spectral resolution even further.

Artificial Intelligence Techniques for the Hydrodynamic Characterization of Two-Phase Liquid–Gas Flows: An Overview and Bibliometric Analysis

Accurately and instantly estimating the hydrodynamic characteristics in two-phase liquid–gas flow is crucial for industries like oil, gas, and other multiphase flow sectors to reduce costs and emissions, boost efficiency, and enhance operational safety. This type of flow involves constant slippage between gas and liquid phases caused by a deformable interface, resulting in changes in gas volumetric fraction and the creation of structures known as flow patterns. Empirical and numerical methods used for prediction often result in significant inaccuracies during scale-up processes. Different methodologies based on artificial intelligence (AI) are currently being applied to predict hydrodynamic characteristics in two-phase liquid–gas flow, which was corroborated with the bibliometric analysis where AI techniques were found to have been applied in flow pattern recognition, volumetric fraction determination for each fluid, and pressure gradient estimation. The results revealed that a total of 178 keywords in 70 articles, 29 of which reached the threshold (machine learning, flow pattern, two-phase flow, artificial intelligence, and neural networks as the high predominance), were published mainly in Flow Measurement and Instrumentation. This journal has the highest number of published articles related to the studied topic, with nine articles. The most relevant author is Efteknari-Zadeh, E, from the Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics.

Microfluidic flow sensor based on chronoamperometric measurements in a microchannel

Microfluidics explores the fluid behavior at micron scale and is therefore suited to applications that need precise manipulation of fluids at small length or volume scales. In a span of over two decades, microfluidics has become an essential tool for modern genome sequencing platforms, single-cell analysis and common diagnostic tests. Despite many successful applications, the field has various challenges: Fabrication processes are yet to transition to commercial materials, microfluidic systems are reliant on skilled operators, and supporting equipment. Technological innovations in automation are needed to enable easy to use, completely on-chip microfluidic systems. Sensors are a critical component of any automated system. Fluid and flow properties such as flow rate, pressure, temperature, viscosity are critical to applications in drug development, and material/chemical synthesis. The flow rate (μL/min or nL/min) predictions based on external (off-chip) flow measurements can lead to erroneous calculations. The present work explores a technique based on chronoamperometry to measure flow rates inside a microchannel. Chronoamperometry based redox cycling of aqueous NaCl was performed by using interdigitated electrodes (IDE). The sensor measures current transients (which are modulated by the flow rate of the solution) effected by redox reactions on surface of the electrodes. The sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.016 (μL/min)−1 change in charge transfer per unit change in flow rate and 3σ resolution of 9.3 μL/min. The calibration curve is linear in the range 0 – 200 μL/min, with a limit of detection (LoD) of 5 μL/min, making it suitable for various microfluidics applications.

Spatiotemporal Filter Velocimetry With Arbitrary-Shaped Measurement Region For Accurate Measurement In The Vicinity Of A Boundary

Viscous stress at a boundary or an interface is a source of drag acting on a body or a fluid particle and therefore its measurement is of great importance for understanding the motion of the body or the fluid particle. In this study, spatiotemporal filter velocimetry (SFV: Hosokawa &amp; Tomiyama, 2012) is extended to arbitrary quadrilateral measurement areas fitted to an interface shape for accurate measurement of flow about a deformed drop, and it is applied to flows about single drops of glycerol-water solution falling in stagnant silicon oil under clean and contaminated conditions. Figure 1 shows the trajectories of tracer particles and the measured velocity distributions. No separation is observed for the spherical and ellipsoidal drops. On the other hand, the stagnant region is observed in the dimple region of the tail of the cap drop. These results clearly indicate that the flow about the deformed drop is successfully measured by SFV with arbitrary quadrilateral measurement areas. Figure 2 shows the trajectories of tracer particles and the measured velocity distributions of single ellipsoidal drops in clean and contaminated systems. Triton X-100 was used as the surfactant and its concentration C in the drop ranges from 0.0 to 0.1 mol/m3 . The drop tail becomes flat and then slightly dimpled shape, and the internal circulation becomes weak as C increases. The internal circulation remains even at the high surfactant concentration condition under which the internal circulation in single spherical drop is fully damped (Hosokawa et al., 2017). We also evaluate interfacial velocity, interfacial shear stresses, the Marangoni stress and surfactant concentration at the interface from measured velocity distributions in the vicinity of the interface. As a result, we confirmed that SFV enables us to measure velocity distribution about a single deformed drop and enables us to evaluate interfacial velocity, interfacial shear stresses, the Marangoni stress and surfactant concentration at the interface.

Feasibility Study For Large Scale Thermal Convective Flow Measurements In Building Physics

The Department of Building Physics / Energy-efficient Buildings at the Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau is about to put a novel research-building into commission, the “Small House III”. Among other measurement equipment, a system for volumetric, large-scale, high-resolution flow velocity measurement should be utilized. In this paper, requirements for such a system are detailed, a suitable measurement system is proposed and a feasibility study for the verification of the system requirements is conducted. To this end, a tailored system for large-scale Lagrangian particle tracking (“Shake-the-Box”) is applied to thermal convective flow measurements above an electric radiator close to a wall. As a result, it is found that the designed volumetric velocity measurement system is capable of successfully operating in the design environment without minimal disturbance of the low-speed convection flow. . After a relatively short setup time (about 5 hours, including camera setup, calibration and self-calibration) up to 10000 images at 50 Hz (200 seconds) have been recorded continuously. Shake-the-Box results show a decline of the number of tracked particles from initially 48000 to about 8000 (with a half-life span of about 100 seconds for the helium filled soap bubbles used for seeding). Applying fine scale reconstruction (data assimilation), a vector spacing of 4 mm could be achieved for instantaneous volumetric velocity snapshots. Averaging resulted in a 2 mm vector spacing with an average of 3300 particles per bin and 410 particles per bin for 1 mm vector spacing (with 75% bin overlap). Weaker particles could only be detected in front of a black background. Using a white background (default background for later applications), weak particles could not be detected as well, so the number of detected particles and the measurement volume decreased slightly compared to the black background. Overall, the feasibility study successfully confirmed the readiness of the measurement system for the intended use for “Small House III” measurements.

LED-based PIV Of A Particle-Laden Turbulent Free-Surface

An experimental method is proposed to study dispersed two-phase flows at an airwater interface, a family of flows of practical significance in environmental and industrial settings. The applicability of this technique is demonstrated through the study of a lightly-deformed turbulent free-surface laden with floating particles (`floaters'). A low-mean turbulent flow is generated in a turbulence box actuated by a 10×10 synthetic jet array. Using LEDs and a single camera, free-surface flow measurements are carried out by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) simultaneously with Lagrangian tracking of the floaters, allowing the potential to characterise the coupling between the floater dynamics and the (sub)surface flow. Discrimination of the dispersed and continuous phases is carried out based on size. Individual floaters and clusters of floaters are successfully tracked throughout the field of view while they navigate through elongated and circular regions of high and low vorticity, characteristic features typically observed when a subsurface turbulent flow interacts with a free surface. Preliminary results of the floater-fluid interactions are presented to highlight the potential of this technique to better our understanding of floaterladen turbulent free surfaces.

Three-Dimensional Measurements Of Deformable Oil Droplets In Turbulence

This work introduces an experimental facility designed to generate turbulence with a high energy dissipation rate of up to 0.3 m^2/s^3 , sufficient to induce deformation and fragmentation of oil droplets. The turbulence is produced by opposing arrays consisting of 24 jet streams in total, each with Reynolds numbers ranging from 12,000 to 50,000. Flow regimes are determined using 3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) conducted in the center of the octagonal test section. The statistical analysis of the turbulence reveals a nearly homogeneous and isotropic nature. A 3D imaging system, equipped with six high-speed cameras, allows for the reconstruction of droplets using the multiple algebraic reconstruction technique algorithm, fostering both visualization and quantification of interface deformation. Additionally, the system enables the tracking of the breakup process. The presented setup is able to couple the measurements of the droplet shapes with surrounding turbulence in 3D dproplet topology reconstruction coupled with surrounding flow measurements. We demonstrate the capability of our imaging system and reconstruction methods for multiphase flow studies with an example of full 3D droplet topology reconstruction coupled with surrounding flow measurements.

Unbalanced Optimal Transport For Stochastic Particle Tracking

Non-invasive flow measurement techniques, such as particle tracking velocimetry, resolve 3D velocity fields by pairing tracer particle positions in successive time steps. These trajectories are crucial for evaluating physical quantities like vorticity, shear stress, pressure, and coherent structures. Traditional approaches deterministically reconstruct particle positions and extract particle tracks using tracking algorithms. However, reliable track estimation is challenging due to measurement noise caused by high particle density, particle image overlap, and falsely reconstructed 3D particle positions. To overcome this challenge, probabilistic approaches quantify the epistemic uncertainty in particle positions, typically using a Gaussian probability distribution. However, the standard deterministic tracking algorithms relying on nearest-neighbor search do not directly extend to the probabilistic setting. Moreover, such algorithms do not necessarily find globally consistent solutions robust to reconstruction errors. This paper aims to develop a globally consistent nearest-neighborhood algorithm that robustly extracts stochastic particle tracks from the reconstructed Gaussian particle distributions in all frames. Our tracking algorithm relies on the unbalanced optimal transport theory in the metric space of Gaussian measures. Specifically, we optimize a binary transport plan for efficiently moving the Gaussian distributions of reconstructed particle positions between time frames. We achieve this by computing the partial Wasserstein distance in the metric space of Gaussian measures. Our tracking algorithm is robust to position reconstruction errors since it automatically detects the number of particles that should be matched through hyperparameter optimization. Notably, our tracking algorithm also readily applies to the standard deterministic PTV case. Finally, we validate our method using an in vitro flow experiment using a 3D-printed cerebral aneurysm.