Comparative study of LDA and PIV methods for flow homogeneity measurements

Abstract

In the Hydraulic Laboratory of the Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava the distribution of the flow velocity in a shaft intake structure was investigated on a physical model. The homogeneity of the flow velocity distribution in the intakes of turbines has a great influence on the turbine performance. Modern optical methods, particle image velocimetry and laser Doppler anemometry, were used to measure the flow velocity distribution in the model of the turbine intake. The particle image velocimetry method provides a record of the velocity field, while the laser Doppler anemometry method provides an accurate indication of the velocity at a given point. The flow velocity distributions in the examined profiles were measured by the particle image velocimetry and laser Doppler anemometry methods and the results were compared with each other.