Large scale particle image velocimetry with helium filled soap bubbles

Abstract

The application of Particle Image Velocimetry to measurement of flows on large scales is a challenging necessity especially for the investigation of convective air flows. Combining helium filled soap bubbles as tracer particles with high power quality switched solid state lasers as light sources allows to conduct Particle Image Velocimetry on scales of the order of several square meters. The technique was applied to mixed convection in a full scale double aisle aircraft cabin mock-up for validation of computational fluid dynamic simulations.