On-line particle-image velocimeter: an integrated approach

We describe an on-line particle-image velocimeter (PIV) and its implementation for the measurement of the velocity field in steady and unsteady flows. The instrument uses up-to-date solid-state sensors, dedicated electronic boards, and digital microcomputers to combine the image-acquisition and processing steps into a single, fully integrated unit. A calibration experiment evaluates the accuracy of the velocity measurement instrument. The experiment consists of the measurement of the velocity distribution of a laminar wall jet and shows that the velocity, as well as the vorticity profiles, obtained by using the on-line PIV compare well with those obtained by means of a conventional photographic PIV and a numerical prediction.