MAX Fluid Dynamics facility  

Hot and cold air jets are mixed within a glass tank while laser-based anemometers and a high-speed infrared camera characterize fluid flow and heat transfer behavior. Click on image to view larger size image.

The jets are deflected by the tank lid, where they leave a temperature signature registered by the infrared camera suspended above. A pulsed laser illuminates micron-sized oil particles suspended within the flow, which are photographed by a high-speed camera. Images are processed to provide local fluid velocity shown here as color contour maps suspended in the tank.

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) involves processing the images to calculate velocities of groups of particles, providing measurements at thousands of points within the light sheet. Top: particles illuminated by the laser sheet; Bottom: measured fluid velocities shown as a color contour where red = 1.7 m/s and purple = 0 m/s.

Below: data planes generated by measurements with the PIV system. Data is used to improve fluid dynamics models that predict heat transfer and fluid flow behavior in nuclear power systems. Computational tools are used in the design of new plants as well as efforts to increase safety margins in existing plants. Click on image to view larger size image.