FLOW VISUALISATION
TECHNIQUES
D Abhinav
2826103
Dept of Aeronautical Engineering
Sathyabama University
Flow Visualisation
• Flow visualization is the art and science of
obtaining a clear image of a physical flow field
and the ability to capture it on sketch,
photograph, or other video storage device for
display or further processing
• Flow visualization aims at the discovery,
description and parametric investigation of
new flow phenomena and at the educational
presentation of established ones
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 2
Pathline, Streakline, Streamline and
Timelines
• Pathline
– The path of a point or particle
convected with the flow
• Streakline
– The locus of particles which have passed through
a prescribed point during a specified time interval
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 3
• Streamline
– A line, tangent to which at any given instant is the
velocity vector at that point
• Timeline
– A line joining different adjacent points at any
instant of time
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 4
METHOD MEASURES FLUID AND SPEED
MARKER METHODS
Dye or Smoke Displacement; Qualitative Low speed flows
Smoke Powder Displacement; Qualitative Restricted to open surface liquid flows
Neutral Density Particles Displacement; Qualitative Mainly liquids
Spark Discharge Displacement; Qualitative Limited to low density gases
Hydrogen Bubble Displacement; Qualitative Limited to electrolytic fluids
Aluminium Flakes Displacement, but orientation of flakes is shear Dense liquids
dependent; Qualitative
Photo-Catalysis Displacement; Qualitative
Electro-Chemical Luminescence Velocity near surfaces; Qualitative Low speed, Special solutions
OPTICAL METHODS
Shadowgraph d2ρ/dx2; Qualitative Hi speed gases, or thermal or concentration
gradients in liquids
Schlieren dρ/dx; Qualitative
Interferometer ρ; Qualitative
WALL TRACE METHODS
Tufts Velocity Direction; transition; separation; No basic limit
reattachment
Evaporative and Chemical change at wall Velocity Direction; transition; separation; No basic limit
reattachment
BIREFRINGENCE Shear Stress; Qualitative Low speed flows; special fluids only
SELF VISIBLE
Luminous General Motions, Qualitative Reacting or very high temperature
Phase Interfaces Displacements of interface Two phase liquids
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 5
Smoke Visualisation
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 6
• Smoke Generation
– Titanium Tetrachloride
• Titanium Tetrachloride forms Titanium Dioxide and
Hydrochloric Acid on contact with moisture in air
– Smoke Wand
– Smoke Generator
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 7
Propeller/Wing Interaction
Smoke Emitted from Tip of Hollow Propeller Blade
Smoke flow over a wing
Jet with Swirl Pseudo coloured Smoke
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 8
Hele-shaw Apparatus
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 9
Tufts
• Yarn
• Tatting Yarn
• Thread
• Fluorescent thread
– Mini-tufts .001”diameter
– Illuminate with UV
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 10
Water Tunnel
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 11
Oil
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 12
China Clay
• A mixture of kerosene, clay powder, and
pigment is applied to the model surface with
the wind off. When the wind is turned on it
causes the kerosene to evaporate, leaving
streaks of clay powder in the form of the flow
pattern
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 13
Shear Sensitive Liquid Crystal
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 14
Temperature and Pressure Sensitive
Paint
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 15
Food Colouring and Liquid Dye
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 16
UV and LASER
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 17
Birefringence or Double Refraction
Colour pattern of a plastic box with ‘frozen’ in
mechanical stress placed between two crossed polarisers
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 18
Pulse Wire
Velocity is inferred by the time length of a repeating pulse of current that brings the wire up to
a specified resistance and then stops until a threshold "floor" is reached, at which time the
pulse is sent again
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 19
Gas Bubbles
Stall in a diffuser
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 20
Shadowgraph
• Shadowgraph is an optical method that
reveals non-uniformities in transparent media
like air, water, or glass.
• In principle, we cannot directly see a
difference in temperature, a different gas, or a
shock wave in the transparent air. However, all
these disturbances refract light rays, so they
can cast shadows.
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 21
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 22
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 23
Schlieren photography
• Schlieren photography is a visual process that is
used to photograph the flow of fluids of varying
density
• The basic optical schlieren system uses light from
a single collimated source shining on, or from
behind, a target object. Variations in refractive
index caused by density gradients in the fluid
distort the collimated light beam. This distortion
creates a spatial variation in the intensity of the
light, which can be visualised directly with a
shadowgraph system.
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 24
• The collimated light is focused with a lens, and a
knife-edge is placed at the focal point, positioned
to block about half the light.
• In flow of uniform density this will simply make
the photograph half as bright. However in flow
with density variations, the distorted beam
focuses imperfectly and parts which have been
focused in an area covered by the knife-edge are
blocked.
• The result is a set of lighter and darker patches
corresponding to positive and negative fluid
density gradients in the direction normal to the
knife-edge.
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 25
• When a knife-edge is used, the system is
generally referred to as a schlieren system,
which measures the first derivative of density
in the direction of the knife-edge. If a knife-
edge is not used, the system is generally
referred to as a shadowgraph system, which
measures the second derivative of density
• If the fluid flow is uniform the image will be
steady, but any turbulence will cause
scintillation, To visualise instantaneous density
profiles, a short duration flash may be used.
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 26
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 27
Interferometry
• Interferometry is the technique of diagnosing the
properties of two or more waves by studying the
pattern of interference created by their
superposition
• When two waves with the same frequency
combine, the resulting pattern is determined by
the phase difference between the two waves—
waves that are in phase will undergo constructive
interference while waves that are out of phase
will undergo destructive interference
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 28
• A single incoming beam of coherent light will
be split into two identical beams by a grating
or a partial mirror
• The path difference creates a phase difference
between them
• It is this introduced phase difference that
creates the interference pattern between the
initially identical waves. If a single beam has
been split along two paths then the phase
difference is diagnostic of anything that
changes the phase along the paths such as
refractive index
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 29
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 30
Composite
Interferometric-
Schlieren photos
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 31
REFERENCES
• Ristid, Slavica, MTI, Belgrade, SCG – “Optical methods
in wind tunnel flow visualization”
• Kline, S. J., Stanford University – “Film Notes for flow
visualisation”
• Kurtulus, D. F. – “Flow Visualisation”
• Panão, Miguel Rosa Oliveira – “Flow Visualisation
Techniques”
• Kiranmayi, L. – “Flow Visualization and Measurement
Techniques in Fluid Flows”
• Gröller, Eduard, Hauser, Helwig – “Flow Visualisation”
• www.en.wikipedia.org
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 32
17 September 2010 D Abhinav 33
