Video systems for PIV recording

Abstract

CCD video cameras have been used extensively in recent years for image capture in fluid flow measurements with the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. Recent advances in CCD imaging technology have improved and extended the PIV technique to new applications, ranging from rotating machinery to 3D measurements. The progressive scan interline transfer CCD allows the time interval between two consecutive frames to be very small. Combined with frame straddling technique and the cross correlation analysis method, video cameras with such CCD design can be used for high-speed flow measurements, without the need for image shifting or image tagging methods to resolve directional ambiguity. Investigation of the pixel fill factor in CCD designs has indicated that the particle image diameter of two pixels or more is required to minimize the error in particle image location, which is important for accurate PIV measurements. Results of the investigation on a commercial video camera with the progressive scan interline transfer CCD design for its capability in high-speed flow measurements are presented. It is shown that this camera can achieve images for a time interval as small as s and for velocities of up to 250 m in the experiment.