A STUDY OF VELOCITY VECTOR PROFILE AND STRAIN RATE DISTRIBUTION FOR LAMINAR AND OSCILLATORY FLOWS IN A BAFFLED TUBE USING PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY

Abstract

We report for the first time the direct measurements of velocity vector profiles and strain rate distribution for both laminar and oscillatory flows in a baffled tube using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The PIV data reported here illustrate in detail the variations of the velocity vectors in a baffled region and provide a full insight into the fluid mechanical conditions generated by this type of flow configuration. The PIV results also show that the axial velocity components for oscillatory flow in a baffled tube are of comparable order to the radial velocity components, which quantitatively supports our previous studies. The measurements of strain rate distribution indicate that a pulsed baffled device can provide enhanced fluid mixing while maintaining a low strain rate, similar to that of a laminar flow. This finding is significant since it suggests that the pulsed baffled device could be beneficial for shear-sensitive bioprocesses where a low shear rate distribution is vitally important to cell cultures.