In-house PIV laser system design and development for measuring the velocity of liquids

ABSTRACT

Measuring the velocity of fluids is important for different scientific applications in industry. There are different methods for measuring the velocity of fluids such as the Pitot tube, orifice plate, Venturi tube and via a rotameter. As these methods are clearly invasive they present considerable errors. Consequently, an optical method could be used for measuring fluids with substantial error reduction. Among those, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV), Laser Doppler Velocimetry (DLV) are good options. In this work, a low-cost, in-house PIV laser system for measuring the velocity of a liquid in experimental form is developed based on our design. The results were then compared with the results of a rotameter at 2-5 litres per minute (LPM) in similar flow conditions. Full design and development of our system will be included in the manuscript.