Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

A time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry (TR-TOMO-PIV) system is proposed in this proposal to conduct cutting-edge research in environmental fluid mechanics, coastal, and river engineering. The system can help study the changing needs of infrastructure as a consequence of the effects of climate change. It can measure a 3D velocity field over a volume rather than a plane at a high frequency. The frequency of the time-resolved system is 1000Hz to be able to capture high-frequency processes in the velocity field. The system can be used for a wide range of applications including velocity filed measurement in coastal flows and around hydraulic infrastructure, supercritical flows, river flows including overbank flood flows, mixing of effluents with ambient waters including mixing in coastal and river flows in various conditions such as co-flow and crossflow. In particular, the proposed equipment can be of particular importance for the specialty research conducted at the new glass-walled flume at the Hydraulic Laboratory at the University of Ottawa and provide detailed info necessary for safe design of infrastructures. The proposed equipment complements, strengthens and expands various research streams currently in progress by the applicants and makes it possible to explore new research avenues. The system allows for detailed measurement of the velocity field required for quantifying turbulence characteristics required for better understanding of highly turbulent flows and their effects such flows around hydraulic infrastructure as well as detailed mechanisms involved in impact of such flows on the structure. Among several research stream possibilities using the proposed equipment, three research streams are highlighted here: 1- Dispersion of plumes caused by industrial outfalls, 2- Investigation of highly turbulent supercritical flows on structures impacted by tsunami, rapid storm surges and flash floods, 3- Energy dissipation in river overbank flood events. Improving the understanding and modeling of infrastructure vulnerability against environmental threats such as storms and floods is of particular importance. Moreover, research is needed in improvement of the numerical models in various above-mentioned applications. The proposed equipment can support development of enhanced numerical models via providing high-resolution (temporal and spatial) data to be used for calibration and validation of numerical models by quantifying detailed turbulence characteristics such as higher order terms in turbulence models. Moreover, turbulent energy dissipation can be estimated using the TR-TOMO-PIV which can improve understanding about detailed turbulence mechanism and energy dissipation. Limited data is available related to the research streams proposed here and the proposed equipment which will lead to a better understanding of the processes shaped by hydrodynamic fields, more accurate simulations, and superior infrastructure design.