DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN IMAGE PROCESSING ALGORITHM FOR VELOCIMETRY SYSTEMS

Abstract

The fluid dynamics presents a complex behavior and in certain regimes it has not been theoretically understood by the physics laws yet. For this reason, the experimental techniques of flow visualization have been used since the 70's with the first methods introduced in laser applications like LDV (Laser Doppler Velocimetry). In these last ten years, due to the digital CCD camera improvements, the development of frame grabbers and microcomputers with better processing performance and large memory, image processing techniques have been applied to investigate fluid dynamics. However, the scientific works in this field of velocimetry through image processing have been always focused in the physical basis behind the measurement, in the improvements or developments of specific algorithms, and in the use of different equipments for instrumentation, not considering the engineering aspects involved in the methodology for the conception and the design of the entire Velocimetry System. In this way, this work presents the design and the implementation of an image processing algorithm for the measurement of the two-dimensional velocity field of fluid flows. This image processing algorithm is a part of a whole Velocimetry System developed by us and that has been successfully applied to different physical systems as our recent publications shown. Keywords: flow visualization, signal processing, electro-electronic instrumentation, and Velocimetry System.