FLIR Technical Series Application Note for Research & Science

Synchronized Thermography and PIV (Particle Imaging Velocimetry) Fluid Flow Measurements
John S. Allen, In Mei Sou, Christopher N. Layman College of Engineering, University of Hawaii-Manoa
Abstract For a variety of engineering applications, the simultaneous real-time measurements of the velocities and temperature changes in a flow field are needed. This is particularly important in the design and optimization of ultrasound systems used for mixing and sonochemistry. In this case, the ultrasound vibrations of an acoustic horn induce localized heating and streaming in the fluid inside a reactor. We present novel experimental results of the synchronized measurements of streaming velocities using a PIV (Particle Imaging Velocimetry) system (TSI, Shoreview, MN) with thermal measurements of the surface temperatures using a FLIR Titanium Thermal Camera (FLIR, Wilsonville, OR). The convective heat transfer is quantified with respect to the development of vortices in the flow field. Spatial correlation analysis is conducted between the temperature and fluid velocity fields. The combined effects of heating and streaming are examined for a range of fluids with different rates of thermal dissipation. Introduction Infrared thermography has been used to obtain heat transfer measurements for fluids engineering applications. For example, convective heat fluxes have been investigated as well as the thermal boundary layer behavior associated with flow over complicated-shaped objects. Typically, thermocouples are devices used in engineering heat transfer measurements, which prove the temperature and heat flux at a specific single point. Though these devices have proven to be both robust and useful for a variety studies, many limitations exist with respect to the quantification of high spatial temperature gradients. The surface temperature maps obtained by IR thermography provide significantly better spatial data on convective heat transfer processes at fluid interfaces. Instantaneous measurement of the flow field velocity is also important in the quantification of convective heat transfer. Flow marker techniques have been developed for visualization and through recording the markers displacement in time, the velocity can be determined. This allows for the direct determination of the velocity vector without need for prior calibration. In particular, Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) tracks the position of groups of particles in a plane allowing for measurement of the instantaneous velocity field. A sufficiently low particle density is used such that particles behave as non-interacting tracers. A laser light sheet illuminates the particles and a camera captures two exposures at the same time intervals for the same set of particles. The method of cross correlation can be used to determine the distance the particles have moved during the time between subsequent images and hence compute the local flow velocity. In a pioneering study, Volino and Smith reported on the simultaneous use of IR and PIV to investigate natural convection. They used a digital IR

camera together with a PIV system to study the free convection of thermal layers of thermal plumes in a fluid layer cooled from above. The cool, dense fluid sinks and is replaced by warmer rising fluid from below. The effects of viscosity and buoyancy govern the heat transfer with the dominating mechanism depending on the relative thickness of the layer. New features on the fluid dynamic behavior and thermal response of the layer were reported. The hydrodynamics associated with the convection process was observed to have previously unreported structures that developed both parallel and normal to the fluid interface. Moreover, Volino and Smith concluded that the simultaneous, combination measurement system provided more detailed and comprehensive information than could be obtained by the use of each respective individual system. However, despite the advances in both PIV technology and thermal imaging cameras over the past ten years, this combined method has received little attention. One recent related study was of a thermal boundary layer in a flume by Hetsroni and co-workers. While natural or free convection was the focus of these previous works, we examine forced convection from an ultrasound source. Ultrasound Application Heating and Streaming Fields In this study, we examine the forced convection due to an acoustic source which is that of a high power ultrasonic horn. The horn tip vibrates at ultrasonic frequencies propagating sound into the surrounding fluid medium of a reactor. Associated with this sound propagation is the transfer of its momentum to the surrounding fluid resulting in an induced temperature field (acoustic heating) and a flow field (acoustic streaming). The processes of heating and streaming (along with cavitation bubbles) are the underlying physical mechanisms needed for ultrasound applications. Ultrasonic cleaners rely on streaming for abrasive movement and transport. Sonoreactors are used to enhance mixing and are capable of degrading deleterious chemicals and biological waste products. A diagram of the experimental set-up with synchronized PIV and thermography is shown in Figure 1. A model sono-reactor consists of a clear acrylic tank (50 30 30 cm3) filled with degassed water with a 20 KHz acoustic horn mounted on the side. The horn was driven at 32 Watts for several different time intervals. The fluid velocity measurements in the surface plane were done using a TSI (Shoreview, MN) PIV system composed of two pulsed Nd:YAG lasers, a PIV digital camera synchronizer, and a dedicated computer for image processing. PIV images were obtained at a rate of 60 Hz. A calibrated mid-wave IR camera (Titanium SC7000, FLIR, Wilsonville, OR) was synchronized through a pulse generator with a 30 Hz trigger to the PIV camera. Acoustic streaming-induced vortices play significant role in the convective heat transfer. In this study, the main vortices develop in the tank with respect to the centerline of the horn. In this case, a vortex flow field develops after seconds of ultrasound exposure with a vortex pair visible from the velocity field measurements. The strength of the vortex cores was determined from the PIV data of the instantaneous velocity fields. In this calculation, we follow the formulation given by Chong et. al. (1990) for the swirling (vortex) strength, which is expressed in terms of the local velocity gradient tensor. The streamlines of the vortices are shown in Figure 2 with the iso-regions of swirling strength indicated by the color portions in red. A corresponding thermal image is captured by the synchronized IR camera. The actual PIV imaging plane and IR camera plan are 1.5 cm apart; however, repeated measurements with a thermocouple array reveal negligible temperature differences between these two planes. The vortex quantification of the strength and location can be assumed to be same for the two planes. Shown in Figure 3 is the corresponding thermal camera image with the respective swirling strength shown with a black outline.

Figure 1. A diagram of the experiment set-up with PIV and IR camera. The thermocouple array was used to examine measurements with respect to the tank depth.

Figure 2. The vortex pair measured by the PIV system with the swirling strength iso-regions shown with the red portions.

Figure 3. Shown is the corresponding instantaneous temperature field for the fluid velocity field in Figure 2.

The fluid temperatures increase near the vortex structures. The counterrotating vortices drive the convective heat transfer process. We record the greatest temperature in the region between the two vortices. Moreover, a more rigorous relationship between the vortex strength and convective heat transfer can be determined with this technique. Such spatial resolution is not possible with thermocouple measurements. As noted in previous studies, the process is highly coupled and nonlinear so the higher heat fluxes do not always correlate directly with the velocity field. Correlation techniques can be used for further quantification since the flow field and its thermal response can evolve at different rates. For industrial ultrasound applications, an understanding of the temperature changes with respect to reactor design and acoustic parameters is sought. This method yields novel visualization into the underlying physical processes of acousticinduced heating and streaming. Summary Acoustic streaming and heating from an ultrasonic horn were investigated using synchronized PIV and IR thermography. The convective heat transfer process can be examined more extensively and comprehensively by combining the two techniques. Understanding the evolution of the fluid velocity and temperature fields is key in making improvements in the design of sono-reactors for a variety of industrial and research applications. The combined technique of IR thermography and PIV should also be useful to other as yet unexplored thermo-fluids engineering applications. References Gurka, R., Liberzon A., Hetsroni G.; Detecting coherent patterns in a flume by using PIV and IR imaging techniques; p. 230-236; Experiments in Fluids, 37, 2004. Volino, R.J. and Smith G.B.; Use of simultaneous IR temperature measurements and DPIV to investigate thermal plumes in a thick layer cooled from above; p. 70-78; Experiments in Fluids; 27,1999. Chong, M.S. Perry A.E. Cantwell B.J.; A general classification of threedimensional flow fields; p. 765-777, Physics of Fluids, A2, 1990. Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank Chris Bainter of FLIR Systems for many helpful suggestions and acknowledge support the CIMES Center at the University of Hawaii. About the Authors John S. Allen is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, HI. Chris Layman and In Mei Sou are postdoctoral research associates with the Departments of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, respectively.

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