Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) allows global velocity measurements to be obtained in a flow simultaneously at all points in a plane. This is extremely useful for studying, for example, the behaviour of complicated turbulence phenomena. To perform PIV, a flow is seeded with tiny particles (like smoke) and illuminated using a powerful laser. Successive images of the flow are captured using a high speed camera and compared using particle tracking algorithms to yield a full array of velocity vectors throughout the flow field. The final, out of plane velocity component can be resolved using an additional camera; this technique is known as Stereoscopic PIV. UNB already has a state-of-the-art planar PIV system in place, so we are are requesting one additional high-speed camera and the supporting software to upgrade the current system to Stereoscopic PIV. The understanding gained from this tool will allow for the development of quieter vehicles and will be used to improve the efficiency of several industrial processes.