Meeting Abstract

46.3  Thursday, Jan. 5  An economical and open-source particle image velocimetry instrument for use in a secondary and higher education setting WILKINSON, Kit C.*; UYENO, Theodore A.; NELSON, Rusell; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University kcw53@nau.edu

A particle image velocimetry (PIV) instrument measures fluid flow velocity. This is performed by seeding the fluid with an isobuoyant particle and illuminating the particles with a laser light source in one to three dimensions. The movement of the particles is recorded by a high-speed camera. A synchronizer coordinates by pulsing the laser light from the camera TTL signal. The video file is then converted to single image files. The software tracks the particles by marking their relative locations in each frame. A PIV instrument can be used to research and demonstrate fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and flows relating to biological systems. Measurement of fluid velocity flows has traditionally required expensive high powered lasers, high-speed cameras and software that were beyond the budget of most teachers. Usually, grants and donations had to be made to assemble a PIV instrument that produced data of useable resolution. Classes in high school and the college level that teach oceanography, physical engineering, fluid dynamics and biology can now build an economical PIV instrument from laser pointers, inexpensive microcontrollers, open-source software, used computers and used high-speed cameras.