Present Particle Image Velocimetry Research Articles

An experimental investigation on the aerodynamic characteristics and vortex dynamics of a flying wing

AbstractIn this paper, we present a detailed experimental investigation mainly on the vortical flow fields and the associated vortex breakdown phenomena over a non-slender flying wing (sweep angle, ${\rm{\Lambda }}$ = 53°). In the process, the aerodynamic coefficients were also determined using a six-component force balance. Surface oil flow visualisation, surface pressure measurements and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements, in various crossflow planes and in a longitudinal plane passing through the leading-edge vortex core, were carried out at various Reynolds numbers to understand the flow field over the non-slender flying wing. Aerodynamic characteristics of the flying wing show local peaks and valleys in the pitching moment coefficient. The surface flow visualisation reveals that the nonlinearity of the pitching moment curve is due to the complex nature of vortical flow structures. The flow visualisation also demonstrates the presence of a wave-like surface pattern, and its size is found to reduce with increasing Reynolds numbers. The present PIV measurements confirm that this wave-like surface pattern is associated with vortex breakdown phenomena. These measurements also reveal that the vortex breakdown has not reached the apex of the wing, even at post-stall angle-of-attack. For pre-stall ( $\alpha $ = 20°) flow regimes, it is observed that the location of the vortex breakdown moves downstream as the Reynolds number increases, but this influence is minimised at near-stall ( $\alpha $ = 25°) and post-stall ( $\alpha $ = 30°) flow regimes. Reconstructed velocity field using the first 10 dominant proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modes reveals that the nature of the vortex breakdown over the flying wing is a spiral-type vortex breakdown.

LES and PIV Investigation of the Flow Past a Cactus-Shaped Cylinder with Four Ribs

The flow past a cactus-shaped cylinder with four ribs is investigated numerically using large eddy simulations (LES) at Reynolds number of 20,000 and experimentally using particle image velocimetry (PIV) at Reynolds number of 50,000. In both approaches, the full range of angle of attack is covered. LES results show a good qualitative and quantitative match of the aerodynamic properties to previous experimental data, although the value of the critical angle of attack is slightly lower. The results confirm that there is no Reynolds number dependency within the investigated range allowing a comparison of the flow fields from the present LES and PIV. Significant variations of the flow patterns with the angle of attack are found and quantified using the recirculation length and wake width. Overall, the observed angle of attack dependence resembles the behaviour of the square cylinder. However, the studied cylinder has a narrower wake at all angular orientations. Proper orthogonal decomposition is used to identify large coherent structures in the flow. At all angles of attack the first two modes remain dominant making it possible to reconstruct the periodic vortex shedding process using a low-order model.

Scaling for turbulent viscosity of buoyant plumes in stratified fluids: PIV measurement with implications for submarine hydrothermal plume turbulence

Time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been used to measure instantaneous two-dimensional velocity vector fields of laboratory-generated turbulent buoyant plumes in linearly stratified saltwater over extended periods of time. From PIV-measured time-series flow data, characteristics of plume mean flow and turbulence have been quantified. To be specific, maximum plume penetration scaling and entrainment coefficient determined from the mean flow agree well with the theory based on the entrainment hypothesis for buoyant plumes in stratified fluids. Besides the well-known persistent entrainment along the plume stem (i.e., the ‘plume-stem’ entrainment), the mean plume velocity field shows persistent entrainment along the outer edge of the plume cap (i.e., the ‘plume-cap’ entrainment), thereby confirming predictions from previous numerical simulation studies. To our knowledge, the present PIV investigation provides the first measured flow field data in the plume cap region. As to measured plume turbulence, both the turbulent kinetic energy field and the turbulence dissipation rate field attain their maximum close to the source, while the turbulent viscosity field reaches its maximum within the plume cap region; the results also show that maximum turbulent viscosity scales as νt,max = 0.030(B/N)1/2, where B is source buoyancy flux and N is ambient buoyancy frequency. These PIV data combined with previously published numerical simulation results have implications for understanding the roles of hydrothermal plume turbulence, i.e. plume turbulence within the cap region causes the ‘plume-cap’ entrainment that plays an equally important role as the ‘plume-stem’ entrainment in supplying the final volume flux at the plume spreading level.

Corner Separation Dynamics in a Linear Compressor Cascade

This paper considers the inherent unsteady behavior of the three-dimensional (3D) separation in the corner region of a subsonic linear compressor cascade equipped of 13 NACA 65-009 profile blades. Detailed experimental measurements were carried out at different sections in spanwise direction achieving, simultaneously, unsteady wall pressure signals on the surface of the blade and velocity fields by time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. Two configurations of the cascade were investigated with an incidence of 4 deg and 7 deg, both at Re=3.8×105 and Ma = 0.12 at the inlet of the facility. The intermittent switch between two statistical preferred sizes of separation, large, and almost suppressed, is called bimodal behavior. The present PIV measurements provide, for the first time, time-resolved flow visualizations of the separation switch with an extended field of view covering the entire blade section. Random large structures of the incoming boundary layer are found to destabilize the separation boundary. The recirculation region, therefore, enlarges when these high vorticity perturbations blend with larger eddies situated in the aft part of the blade. Such a massive detached region persists until its main constituting vortex suddenly breaks down and the separation almost completely vanishes. The increase of the blockage during the separation growth phase appears to be responsible for this mechanism. Consequently, the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis is carried out to decompose the flow modes and to contribute to clarify the underlying cause-effect relations, which predominate the dynamics of the present flow scenario.

In vivo measurement of hemodynamic information in stenosed rat blood vessels using X-ray PIV.

Measurements of the hemodynamic information of blood flows, especially wall shear stress (WSS), in animal models with circulatory vascular diseases (CVDs) are important to understand the pathological mechanism of CVDs. In this study, X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) with high spatial resolution was applied to obtain velocity field information in stenosed blood vessels with high WSS. 3D clips fabricated with a 3D printer were applied to the abdominal aorta of a rat cadaver to induce artificial stenosis in the real blood vessel of an animal model. The velocity and WSS information of blood flows in the stenosed vessel were obtained and compared at various stenosis severities. In vivo measurement was also conducted by fastening a stenotic clip on a live rat model through surgical intervention to reduce the flow rate to match the limited temporal resolution of the present X-ray PIV system. Further improvement of the temporal resolution of the system might be able to provide in vivo measurements of hemodynamic information from animal disease models under physiological conditions. The present results would be helpful for understanding the relation between hemodynamic characteristics and the pathological mechanism in animal CVD models.

Streaming Caused by Oscillatory Flow in Peripheral Airways of Human Lung

Oscillatory flow facilitates gas exchange in human respiration system. In the present study, both numerical calculation and PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) measurement indicate that, under the application of HFOV (High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation), apparent steady streaming is caused and augmented in distal airways by the continuous oscillation, i.e., the core air moves downwards and the peripheral air evacuates upwards within bronchioles. The net flow of steady streaming serves to overcome the lack of tidal volume in HFOV and delivers fresh air into deeper lung region. Also, numerical calculations reveal that the intensity of steady streaming is mainly influenced by the geometry of airways with provided oscillatory frequency and tidal volume, and it rises with Re and Wo up to a Re of about 124 and Wo of about 5. Steady streaming is considered as an important factor for the ventilation efficiency of HFOV.

Preliminary test results and CFD analysis for Moderator Circulation Test (MCT)

The moderator flow circulation patterns in CANDU6 reactor are complicated slow flows that significantly vary from buoyancy dominated to inertia dominated patterns. Accurate predictions of flow patterns are essential for accurate calculation of moderator temperature distributions and the related moderator subcooling. The code and its analytical models have therefore to be validated against experiments representative of reactor conditions. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) installed the Moderator Circulation Test (MCT) facility to simulate the 3 dimensional moderator circulation phenomena in the calandria of CANDU6 reactor and develop the optical measurement system using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). From the present work it is shown that the PIV measurement results can capture the same flow pattern as that expected in the CANDU6 calandria tank under a momentum dominant flow condition, where the inlet jets penetrate the top of the tank and produce a downward flow through the center of the tube columns toward the outlet nozzle, and the flow fields are in symmetric distributions. The measurements of the downward velocities are performed at different locations. The velocity is shown to be axially uniform. The velocity is rapidly decreased as the measurement location is far from the center of the tank, since the downward flow is dominant along the center of the tube columns. The present PIV measurement data are collected and compared with CFX code predictions.

Scaling of maximum velocity, body force, and power consumption of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators via particle image velocimetry

This study presents Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements of the induced flow characteristics generated by single dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuators in quiescent conditions. The primary aim is to establish accurate empirical trends for model development on both the maximum induced velocity and body force with voltage and consumed power. The results reveal a power law variation for the maximum velocity at low voltages which is followed by an asymptotic behavior. In contrast, the body force is characterized by two power law regions. The power law exponent is shown to be a function of the dielectric thickness, frequency and dielectric constant. Reducing the former or increasing the latter two result in a higher coefficient and lower voltage at which the trend changes. The onset of the second region occurs at a Re ∼ 100 (based on the maximum velocity, um, and corresponding half height, y1/2) and is characterized by a velocity profile which no longer agrees with the laminar profile of Glauert whilst moving increasingly towards the turbulent case. Phase locked PIV measurements show that as the voltage increases the peak momentum transfer shifts from the middle of the AC cycle to the latter end of the forward stroke. Lissajous plots of umϕ against the corresponding x location and plasma length Δx demonstrate that the peak momentum transfer remains relatively fixed in space as the voltage and plasma length increase.

Instantaneous flow field above the free end of finite-height cylinders and prisms

The flow above the free ends of surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinders and square prisms was studied experimentally using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Cylinders and prisms with aspect ratios of AR=9, 7, 5, and 3 were tested at a Reynolds number of Re=4.2×104. The bodies were mounted normal to a ground plane and were partially immersed in a turbulent zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer, where the boundary layer thickness relative to the body width was δ/D=1.6. PIV measurements were made above the free ends of the bodies in a vertical plane aligned with the flow centreline. The present PIV results provide insight into the effects of aspect ratio and body shape on the instantaneous flow field. The recirculation zone under the separated shear layer is larger for the square prism of AR=3 compared to the more slender prism of AR=9. Also, for a square prism with low aspect ratio (AR=3), the influence of the reverse flow over the free end surface becomes more significant compared to that for a higher aspect ratio (AR=9). For the circular cylinder, a cross-stream vortex forms within the recirculation zone. As the aspect ratio of the cylinder decreases, the reattachment point of the separated flow on the free end surface moves closer to the trailing edge. For both the square prism and circular cylinder cases, the instantaneous velocity vector field and associated in-plane vorticity field revealed small-scale structures mostly generated by the separated shear layer.

Experimental study of the flow characteristics in an automotive HVAC system using a PIV technique

Air flow inside an automotive HVAC module was visualized using a high-resolution PIV technique with varying temperature control modes. The PIV (particle image velocimetry) system used for the experiment consisted of a 2-head Nd:YAG laser (125 mJ), a high-resolution CCD camera (2 K × 2 K), optics and a synchronizer. A real automotive HVAC module was used as a test model, and some of its casing parts were replaced with transparent windows to capture the flow images of the laser-light-sheet illumination. In addition, instant velocity fields were measured for three different temperature control modes by adjusting the temperature baffle. Characteristics of the air flow inside the automotive HVAC were then evaluated based on the time-averaged PIV data. Results from the experiment showed that flow for the warm mode loses more momentum due to its complicated flow path. Thus, the present PIV data can be used to validate numerical prediction and to improve the performance of HVAC modules.

A PIV study of co-rotating disks flow in a fixed cylindrical enclosure

This study investigates the coherent flow between enclosed co-rotating disks using flow visualization and particle image velocimetry (PIV). To simulate the 3.5-inch hard disks the tested disks have a diameter of 275 mm and a gap-to-disk radius ratio of 0.09. In the flow measurements the Reynolds number is fixed at Re = 5.25 × 10 5 corresponding to a disk rotating speed of 12,000 rpm. The rotation speed and disk space selected above is for the next generation hard disk consideration, and the related parameters are determined through the Reynolds dynamic similarity Re ( model , water 30 ° C ) = Re ( prototype , air 30 ° C ) . The results show that the flow between the disks can be characterized by eight sub-flow regions: namely 1st solid body rotation region, 2nd large-scale vortex structure region, 3rd detached shear layer region, 4th boundary layer region, 5th core region, 6th Ekman layer region, 7th Stewartson layer region, and 8th shroud shear layer region. Among these sub-flow regions the 5th to 7th flow regimes are not identified previously. In addition, the additional measurements of the circumferential velocity component in the 5th core region reveal that a pair of circular flow structure acts like an annular chain to surround the 2nd sub-region large-scale vortex. This finding is also not reported in the literature. Moreover, the present PIV phase velocity measurements provide the physical explanation of the cyclic variation in the 1st solid body rotation region reported previously by our Laser Doppler Velocimetry spectra measurements.

Spatial resolution of PIV for the measurement of turbulence

Recent technological advancements have made the use of particle image velocimetry (PIV) more widespread for studying turbulent flows over a wide range of scales. Although PIV does not threaten to make obsolete more mature techniques, such as hot-wire anemometry (HWA), it is justifiably becoming an increasingly important tool for turbulence research. This paper assesses the ability of PIV to resolve all relevant scales in a classical turbulent flow, namely grid turbulence, via a comparison with theoretical predictions as well as HWA measurements. Particular attention is given to the statistical convergence of mean turbulent quantities and the spatial resolution of PIV. An analytical method is developed to quantify and correct for the effect of the finite spatial resolution of PIV measurements. While the present uncorrected PIV results largely underestimate the mean turbulent kinetic energy and energy dissipation rate, the corrected measurements agree to a close approximation with the HWA data. The transport equation for the second-order structure function in grid turbulence is used to establish the range of scales affected by the limited resolution. The results show that PIV, due to the geometry of its sensing domain, must meet slightly more stringent requirements in terms of resolution, compared with HWA, in order to provide reliable measurements in turbulence.

PIV measurements of a turbulent jet issuing from round sharp-edged plate

An experimental investigation is presented of a turbulent jet issuing from a round sharp-edged orifice plate (OP) into effectively unbounded surroundings. Planar measurements of velocity were conducted using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) in the near and transition regions. The Reynolds number, based on the jet initial diameter and velocity, is approximately 72,000. The instantaneous and mean velocities, Reynolds normal and shear stresses were obtained. The centerline velocity decay and the half-velocity radius were derived from the mean velocity. It is revealed that primary coherent structures occur in the near field of the OP jet and that they are typically distributed asymmetrically with respect to the nozzle axis. Comparison of the present PIV and previous hot-wire measurements for the OP jet suggests that high initial turbulence intensity leads to reduced rates of decay and spread of the mean flow field and moreover a lower rate of variation of the turbulence intensity. Results also show that self-similarity of the mean flow is well established from the transition region while the turbulent statistics are far from self-similar within the measured range to 16 diameters.

Acoustic streaming in lithotripsy fields: preliminary observation using a particle image velocimetry method

This study considers the acoustic streaming in water produced by a lithotripsy pulse. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) method was employed to visualize the acoustic streaming produced by an electromagnetic shock wave generator using video images of the light scattering particles suspended in water. Visualized streaming features including several local peaks and vortexes around or at the beam focus were easily seen with naked eyes over all settings of the lithotripter from 10 to 18 kV. Magnitudes of the peak streaming velocity measured vary in the range of 10–40 mm s −1 with charging voltage settings. Since the streaming velocity was estimated on the basis of a series of the video images of particles averaged over 1/60 s, the time resolution limited by the video frame rate which is 1–2 orders of magnitude larger than driving acoustic activities, measured velocities are expected to be underestimated and were shown a similar order of magnitude lower than those calculated from a simple theoretical consideration. Despite such an underestimation, it was shown that, as predicted by theory, the magnitude of the streaming velocity measured by the present PIV method was proportional to acoustic intensity. In particular it has almost a linear correlation with peak negative pressures ( r = 0.98683, p = 0.0018).

PIV measurements in a weakly separating and reattaching turbulent boundary layer

A high Reynolds number flat plate turbulent boundary layer was studied in a wind-tunnel experiment using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The flow is subjected to an adverse pressure gradient (APG) which is designed such that the boundary layer separates and reattaches, forming a weak separation bubble. With PIV we are able to get a more complete picture of this complex flow phenomenon. The view of a separation bubble being composed of large scale coherent regions of instantaneous backflow occurring randomly in a three-dimensional manner in space and time is verified by the present PIV measurements. The PIV database was used to test the applicability of various velocity scalings around the separation bubble. We found that the mean velocity profiles in the outer part of the boundary layer, and to some extent also the Reynolds shear-stress, are self-similar when using a velocity scale based on the local pressure gradient. The same can be said for the so called Perry–Schofield scaling, which suggests that the two velocity scales are connected. This can also be interpreted as an experimental evidence of the claimed relation between the latter velocity scale and the maximum Reynolds shear-stress.

NUMERICAL MODELLING AND PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY MEASUREMENT OF THE LAMINAR FLOW FIELD INDUCED BY AN ENCLOSED ROTATING DISC

The fluid flow field within an enclosed cylindrical chamber with a rotating flat disc was calculated using a finite volume computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and compared with particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. Two particular laminar cases near the Transitional flow regime were investigated : Reynolds number Re = 2.5 x 10 4 , chamber aspect ratio G (h/R d ) = 0.2 and Re = 4.2 x 10 4 , G (h/R d ) = 0.217. This enabled direct comparison with the numerical and experimental results reported by other researchers. The computational details and some major factors that affect the computed accuracy and convergence speed are also discussed in detail. PIV results containing some 4300 velocity vector points in each of seven planes for each case were obtained from the flow field parallel to the rotating disc. It was found that PIV results could be obtained in planes within the boundary layers as well as the core flow by careful use of a thin laser illumination sheet and correct choice of laser pulse separation. There was close agreement between numerical results, the present PIV measurements and other reported experimental and numerical results.