Velocimetry

Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry System (w/4D Particle Tracking) – LaVision FlowMaster

The LaVision FlowMaster Time-Resolved Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system offers high-resolution, high-speed tomographic particle image velocimetry and 3D particle tracking for studying complex flows. It is ideal for investigating unsteady swirling flows, turbulence-particle dynamics, and flow-structure interactions, e.g., spread of fires, autonomous drone aerodynamics, aneurysm treatment, novel engine designs, pollutant dispersion, waterway-ecosystem management, and wind-turbine aerodynamics.

It includes two high-speed pulsed lasers for tracer-particle illumination, four high-speed 4-megapixel video cameras to capture particle images from different viewpoints, a high-end PC for data acquisition and processing, a mobile optical table with framing for laser and camera mounting, and all the necessary optical components and system accessories (e.g., calibration targets).

This instrumentation was purchased via an NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant, with cost-sharing from the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS), the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development (OVPRED).

Contact, Hours and Location

Contact:
Matthew Ringuette
Associate Professor
327 Jarvis Hall
(716) 645-1461

Hours:
By appointment; please contact Matthew Ringuette.

Location:
High-Speed 3D Velocimetry System Facility
311 Jarvis Hall
University at Buffalo
North Campus
Buffalo, NY

Two high-speed (1 kHz) dual-head 30mJ/pulse Nd:YLF (527 nm) lasers and their chiller units (large optical table not included with the instrument).

Features

  • Capable of 2D 2-component particle image velocimetry (PIV), 2D 3-component stereoscopic PIV, 3D 3-component tomographic PIV, 3D 3-component particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) “shake-the-box,” all time-resolved and processed via LaVision DaVis 10 software
  • Four high-speed (1 kHz full-frame) 4-megapixel CMOS video cameras with 32 GB RAM each (Phantom VEO 640L)
  • Two high-speed (1 kHz) dual-head 30mJ/pulse Nd:YLF (527 nm) lasers and chiller units (Photonics DM30-527-DH) (NOTE: for remote use, the lasers each require two 208 V, 20 A outlets)
  • Programmable timing unit to trigger laser and camera (10 ns resolution)
  • Data acquisition PC for velocimetry processing/post-processing
  • Optics for creating laser sheets/volumes, beam splitting/combining, and an articulated light-delivery arm
  • Camera lenses (ranging from 50 mm to 200 mm) and filters (high-pass for LIF, cut-off at 540 nm with effective suppression of 532 nm, > 90% transmission efficiency)
  • Scheimpflug camera lens adapters enable sharp focus during angled imaging
  • Camera rails and mounts with 3-axis tripod heads
  • 3D dual-layer calibration targets (ranging from 58 mm x 58 mm to 309 mm x 309 mm)
  • Seeding particles for liquid flows: PMMA fluorescent particles (20-40 micron diameter, 532 nm excitation/584 nm emission) and titanium dioxide filled polyamide particles (60 micron mean diameter, S.G. = 1.03)
  • Seeding particles for gas flows: flow seeder (submicron droplet generator with inlet filter and pressure regulator, 4 nozzle head, 7 x 1010 particle/sec) and DEHS mineral oil
  • Mobile Thorlabs table with pneumatically-stabilized optical breadboard for attaching camera framing and/or mounting lasers, adjustable framing/mounts for cameras, and shelves for timing unit and possibly laser controller

 

Fees

Coming soon.