Flow Characterization

Fluid dynamics involves the study of fluid flow. Aerodynamics and hydrodynamics are sub-disciplines of fluid dynamics that deal with gas flow and liquid flow, respectively. Fluid dynamic problems are frequently encountered in numerous fields ranging from the design of aircrafts and automobiles, design of low noise propellers and fans, predicting the dispersion of air pollutants, to the study of complex weather patterns. Such complex studies generally involve both computational modeling and experimental characterization. Laser Doppler Velocimeters (LDV) are routinely used for the detailed temporal and spatial experimental characterization of complex flow fields.

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An LDV measures the velocity of an individual particle that is present in the flow field (either naturally present or added). Since very small particles track the flow field with high fidelity, the particle velocity is a proxy for the flow velocity at the point of measurement.  An LDV is a point measurement instrument unlike Particle Image Velocimeter (PIV), which provides a planar measurement of the velocity field. LDV provides excellent temporal resolution and dynamic range and hence is ideally suited for turbulence measurements. LDV is sometimes referred to as Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA). Artium offers a variety of 1D, 2D, and 3D LDV systems that incorporate the latest development in laser technology, optical design, signal processing and software engineering.