Tracer Particles and Seeding for PIV

Seeding particles for PIV

Proper tracer must be small enough to follow (trace)

fluid motion and should not alter fluid or flow
properties.
Proper tracer must be large enough to be visible by
the camera.
Uniform seeding is critical to the success of
obtaining velocity field. No seed particles, no data.

The seeding source must be placed cleverly so that the

particles mix with the flow well.
Particles with finite inertia are known to disperse nonuniformly in a turbulent flow, preferential concentration

Seeding particles for PIV (contd)

The tracing ability and the dispersion

characteristics depends on the

aerodynamical characteristics of particles
and the continuous medium;
The visibility depends on the scattering
characteristics of particles.
The choice of optimal diameter for seeding
particles is a compromise between two
aspects.

Scattering characteristics of particles

Laser sheet leads to a low energy density

particle scattering efficiency is important;
Light scattering capability - scattering cross
section Cs is defined as the ratio of the total
scattered power Ps, to the laser intensity I0
incident on the particle

Cs

Ps

I0

Example of scattering cross section (1)

The scattering cross section as a function of

the particle size (refractive index m=1.6).

Example of scattering cross section (2)

Diameter dp

Scattering cross section Cs

10-33m2

Molecule
1m

Cs(dp/)4

10-12m2

10m

Cs( dp/)2

10-9m2

Scattering cross section as a function of the

particle size

Mie scattering of small particle (1)

Light Scattering by an oil particle in air when refractive

index m ~ 1.4. Left: 1m diameter, right: 10m
diameter

Mie scattering of small particle (2)

Light scattering by a 1 m,
10 m, and 30 m glass
particle in water.
Refractive index m = 1.52

Summary of particle light scattering

for PIV
The ratio Is90/Is0 decreases with increasing size parameter

dp/, with values roughly in the range 10-1-10-3 for scattering

particles useful in PIV.
The resulting intensity of the scattered light for a given light
sheet intensity will depend on the combined influences of Cs
and Is90/Is0, which exhibit opposing tendencies with
increasing particle size. In general, larger particles will still
give stronger signals.
The ratio Is90/Is0 increases with increasing refractive index m.
Hence particles in air gives stronger 90o scattering than in
water.

Tracking characteristics of particles

The tracking ability depends on

Particle shape assumed spherical

aerodynamically equivalent diameter - dp
Particle density p
Fluid density f and fluid dynamic viscosity or
kinematic viscosity = /f

Newtons Law governing the

motion of a
single particle:

d 3p dU p
6

dt

Fi
i

General governing equation

p

d 3p dU p
6

dt

3d pV

d 3p dU f
6

d
1
p dV

dt
2
6 dt

3 2
1
d p ( f ) 2
2

t0

dV d
d t

Meaning of each term:

I.
II.
III.

IV.

V.

Viscous drag according to the Stokes law

Acceleration force
Force due to a pressure gradient in the vicinity of the
particle
Resistance of an inviscid fluid to the acceleration of the
sphere (added mass)
Basset history integral resistance caused by the
unsteadiness of the flow field.

Stokes drag law

The Stokes drag law is considered to apply when the

particle Reynolds number Rep is smaller than unity,
where Rep is defined as
f Vd p Vd p
Re p

In a typical PIV experiment with 10m particles and

20 cm/s mean velocity,
Rep=10x10-6 x 0.2 / 1.46x10-5 = 0.13 (air);
Rep=10x10-6 x 0.2/1.0x10-6 = 2 (water).

Particle parameter
- the particle response time p

Velocity lag of a particle in a continuously accelerating

fluid:
V U p U f d p2

( p f ) dU f
18

dt

The particle velocity response to the fluid velocity if heavy

particles (p>>f) in a continuously accelerating flow is:

U p (t ) U f 1 exp

Particle response time:

p d p2

p
18

Particle parameter
- the Stokes number St

Stokes number St as the ratio of the particle response

time to the Kolmogorov time scale:

St p / k

St: the degree of coupling between the particle phase

and the fluid.

St0 the particles behave like tracers

St the particles are completely unresponsive to the fluid

flow.

Particle parameter
- the characteristic frequency C

In the case of gas flow where p>>f,

characteristic frequency of the particle
motion

C 18 p d

2
p

c=2fc
Tracing abilityu in turbulence,
1
u

2
p
2
f

(1 c / C )

Figure of characteristic frequency

The response of particles in turbulence flow. (From Haetig J,

Introductory on particle behavior ISL/AGRAD workshop on laser
anemometry (Institute Saint Louis) report R 117/76, 1976)

Particle size vs. Turbulence scale

Seeding particles need to be smaller than the

smallest turbulence scale if one wants to
identify all the structures in the vicinity of
the flow. The smallest fluid length scale is
called the Kolmogorov length scale, and it is
related to the size of the smallest eddy.

Additional Considerations

Particle seeding uniformity

Additional Considerations (contd)

Secure sufficient spatial detail in the flow field a higher

concentration of particles is generally needed with PIV than
with LDV, with which it is possible to wait indefinitely for
the arrival of a scattering particle in the probe volume.

A uniform particle size is desirable in order to avoid

excessive intensity from larger particles and background
noise, decreasing the accuracy, from small particles.

Particles that naturally exist in the flow seldom meet the

above requirements. Hence, in PIV applications, it is often
necessary to seed the flow with a chosen tracer particle. The
particles are either premixed with the whole fluid (e.g.,
stirred ) or released in situ by a seeding source.

Imaging of small particles

Relation between real particles and particle image recorded
in the camera can be analyzed by the diffraction limited
imaging of a small particle

For a given aperture

diameter Da and wavelength ,
the Airy spot size
I ( x)
0 d diff 2.44f / Da
I max

Imaging of small particles (conts)

With an imaging lens, the

diffraction-limited size:
d diff 2.44 f # ( M 1)

Estimate of the particle

image diameter:
2
2
d ( Md p ) d diff

dp: original particle diameter

1
1
1

z0 Z 0 f
M

z0
Z0

Seeding particles for PIV (liquid flow)

Type
Solid
Liquid
Gaseous

Material
Polystyrene
Aluminum
Glass spheres
Granules for synthetic coatings
Different oils
Oxygen bubbles

Mean diameter in m
10-100
2-7
10-100
10-500

50 - 500
50-1000

Seeding particles for PIV (gas)

Type

Solid

Smoke
Liquid

Material
Polystyrene
Aluminum

Mean diameter in m
0.5- 10
2-7

Magnesium
Glass micro-balloons
Granules for synthetic coatings
Dioctylphathalate

2-5

Different oils

30-100
10-50

1-10
<1
0.5 - 10

Commercial seeding particles - TSI

(http://www.tsi.com)
Silicon Carbide: Suitable for measurements in liquids and

gases, silicon carbide particles have a narrow particle size

distribution (mean diameter of 1.5m). Their high refractive
index is useful for obtaining good signals in water, even in
backscatter operation. They can also be used in high
temperature flows. Supplied as a dry powder, they can be
mixed in liquid to form a suspension before dispersing.

Titanium Dioxide: Titanium dioxide particles (mean

diameter of 0.2m) are usually dispersed as a dry powder

for gas flow measurement applications. The smaller particle
size makes titanium dioxide attractive for high-speed flows.
It can also be used for high temperature flows.

Commercial seeding particles - TSI (

http://www.tsi.com) (contd)
Polystyrene Latex: With an extremely narrow size
distribution (nominal diameter of 1.0m), polystyrene latex
(PSL) particles are useful in many different measurements.
Supplied in water, they are not recommended for high
temperature applications.
Metallic coated: Metallic coated particles (mean diameter
of 9.0m) are normally used to seed water flows for LDV
measurements due to their lower density and higher
reflectivity. They cannot be used where salt is present. Salt
reacts with the metal coating, causing the particles to
agglomerate and drop out of the flow.

Commercial seeding particles - TSI (

http://www.tsi.com) (contd)
Mean
Dia.
(m)

Size
Range
(m)

Shape

Density
(g/cc)

Refractive
Index
(real)

Refractive
Index
(imag.)

Silicon carbide

1.5

Std. dev.= 1.4

Irregular

3.2

2.65

---

Silicon dioxide

2.7

---

Irregular

2.3

1.47

---

Std. dev.= 1.5

Spherical

1.14

1.53

---

PSL

0.54

Std. dev.= 1.05

Spherical

1.05

1.55-1.6

---

Titanium dioxide

3-5

---

Irregular

4.2

2.6

---

4-12

Spherical

2.6

0.21

2.62

8-12

10% < 3-5

90% < 14-17

Spherical

1.05-1.15

1.5

---

14

10% < 7
90% < 21

Spherical

1.65

.21

2.62

Particle
Type

Nylon

Metallic coated
Hollow glass
spheres
Metallic coated,
Hollow glass
spheres

Commercial seeding particles - Dantec

(http://www.dantecmt.com)

Polyamide seeding particles (PSP): These are produced by

polymerisation processes and therefore have a round but not exactly
spherical shape. They are microporous and strongly recommended for
water flow applications.

Hollow glass spheres and silver-coated hollow glass spheres (HGS, SHGS): Intended primarily for liquid flow applications, these are
borosilicate glass particles with a spherical shape and a smooth surface. A
thin silver coating further increases reflectivity.

Fluorescent polymer particles (FPP): These particles are based on

melamine resin. Fluorescent dye (Rhodamine B:) is homogeneously
distributed over the entire particle volume. In applications with a high
background light level, fluorescent seeding particles can significantly
improve the quality of vector maps from PIV and LDV measurements. The
receiving optics must be equipped with a filter cantered on the emission
wavelength (excitation max.: 550 nm; emission max.: 590 nm).

Commercial seeding particles - Dantec

(http://www.dantecmt.com) (contd)
PSP
Polyamide
seeding
particles

HGS
Hollow glass
spheres

S-HGS
Silver-coated
hollow glass
spheres

FPP
Fluorescent
polymer particles

5, 20, 50

10

10

10, 30, 75

1 - 10 m
5 - 35 m
30 - 70 m

2 - 20 m

2 - 20 m

1 - 20 m
20 - 40 m
50 - 100 m

non-spherical but
round

spherical

spherical

spherical

Density (g/cm )

1.03

1.1

1.4

1.5

Melting point (C)

175

740

740

250

Refractive index

1.5

1.52

1.68

Polyamide 12

Borosilicate glass

Borosilicate glass

Melamine resin
based polymer

Mean particle size (m)

Size distribution

Particle shape

Material

Particle generation

Liquid flow

Simple, select proper powder then mix w/ liquid

Gas flow

liquid droplets

Atomization or Condensation

solid particles

Atomization or Fluidization

Requirement for PIV

Nearly monodisperse size distribution

High production rate

Liquid droplets

Advantage

Steady production rate;

Inherently spherical shape;
Known refractive index

Problem

Form nonuniform liquid films on window

Generator

Laskin atomizer
Commercial atomizer (e.g., TSI)