The schlieren technique describes an optical analysis method designed to enhance light distortions caused by air movement. The ability to visualize gas flows has significant implications for analyzing underground mine ventilation systems. Currently, the widely utilized traditional schlieren methods are impractical underground due to complex equipment and design requirements. Background oriented schlieren (BOS) provides a solution to this problem. BOS requires two primary components, a professional quality digital camera and a schlieren background. A schlieren background is composed of a varying contrast repetitive pattern, such as black and white stripes or dots. This background allows the camera's sensor to capture the minor light diffractions that are caused by transparent inhomogeneous gases through image correlation. This paper investigates a possible means of mitigating some of the major problems associated with surveying underground mine ventilation systems with the BOS method. BOS is an imaging technique first introduced in 1999 that allows the visualization of flowing inhomogeneous transparent media. In ventilation surveys, BOS can be used to attain qualitative data about airflows in complex areas and methane emissions from coal. The acquisition of such data would not only enhance the understanding of mine ventilation but also improve the accuracy of ventilation surveys. As an example, surveys can benefit from small scale BOS investigations around fans, regulators, overcasts, and critical junctions to identify effective data gathering positions. Regular inspections of controls and methane monitoring points could also be improved by the systematic nature of BOS. Computer programs could process images of each location identically regardless of quantity. BOS can then serve as a check to identify items that were overlooked during the routine inspection. Despite the potential of BOS for ventilation analysis, several limitations still exist. These issues are sensitivity threshold and quantification of flow data. This paper specifically examines the qualitative potential of the BOS technique for imaging various underground ventilation flows and outlines initial experimental efforts used for the evaluation. Three primary experiments were conducted to evaluate BOS as a potential qualitative analysis technique for underground mine ventilation. The first experiment used BOS to image of flow induced by an axial vane fan and an axial flow fan using an artificial background and an imitation rock background. This experiment showed that the BOS system was unable to image isothermal airflow from either fan. Heated airflow could be visualized with both fans using the artificial striped background but not with the imitation rock background. The BOS system lacked the sensitivity necessary to image isothermal airflow from the two fans. The focus of the overall BOS study was changed to explore higher pressure airflows through a regulator. The second experiment used BOS to image flow through a regulator induced by an axial flow fan using an artificial striped background. The BOS images were compared to ones produced by a traditional schlieren single mirror systems for validation of the BOS experimental design. This experiment was unable to image isothermal airflow through the regulator from either system. However, heated airflow could be visualized by both systems. The BOS and traditional schlieren systems used in this experiment lacked the sensitivity necessary to image isothermal airflow through a regulator. However, the BOS procedures were successfully validated by the ability of both the BOS and traditional schlieren systems to image heated airflows. The focus of the study was changed to explore methane gas emissions. Numerous mining industry techniques already exist to quantify methane content. However, methane content is different from the actual methane emission rate of exposed coal. Emission rates have been modeled using numerical simulation techniques, but the complexity of the methane migration mechanism still requires physical data to achieve higher accuracy. The third experiment investigated the feasibility of using the BOS technique for imaging methane flow by imaging methane emission from a porous medium. Laboratory grade methane was directly injected into a Brea sandstone core sample using a flexible tube. The BOS system was successfully able to image methane desorption in this study. A repeating pattern consisting of alternating black and white stripes served as the schlieren background for the Nikon D700 camera. The ability to image methane emission even at low injection pressures (i.e. 20 psi) demonstrates that actual methane desorption from coal can potentially be imaged. This result can only be conjectured because of a lack of research in the area of methane emission. Despite this issue, the experimental results suggest that BOS can be feasibly utilized to image methane emissions from coal in an underground mine. The results of the three experiment demonstrated that the potential for large scale implementation of BOS in underground mines does exist. Qualitative BOS information has the potential in the practical sense to optimize the procedures of ventilation surveys and design of ventilation monitoring equipment. For example, images of methane flow in active mining areas can be used to optimize the positioning of auxiliary ventilation equipment to dilute known areas of high methane concentration. BOS images could also be used to re-evaluate the placement of methane monitors on mining equipment to better facilitate the detection of dangerous methane concentrations in active mining areas. For these reasons, further investigation into the BOS technique for use in imaging underground airflows with differential temperatures and methane emissions in underground coal mines is suggested as an addendum to this study. / Master of Science

<p dir="ltr">The dynamics and characteristics of a high-speed compressible turbulent boundary layer or shear layer have significant effects on separation, heating, shockwave boundary layer interactions, effectiveness of control surfaces, and ultimately the performance of supersonic / hypersonic vehicles. Experimental data with high spatiotemporal resolution and low uncertainty is necessary for understanding complex flow physics and validating computational models. </p><p dir="ltr">Background oriented schlieren (BOS) is a technique derived from traditional schlieren imaging to provide whole-field, quantitative density gradient measurements with a simplistic setup at the expense of reduced spatial resolution and increased uncertainty. The majority of BOS applications focus on low-speed flows with an entocentric optical setup which causes low depth-of-field, wall-blurring, and perspective error issues, making conventional BOS not suitable for high-speed compressible turbulent flow settings. Additionally, despite the widespread adoption of BOS, it has primarily been used as an alternative visualization technique to traditional schlieren imaging and thus the quantitative capabilities of BOS are left under-exploited.</p><p dir="ltr">The workflow of BOS consists of image acquisition, displacement estimation, and integration of the density gradient field. The work presented in this thesis improves the image acquisition and displacement estimation of the BOS workflow by implementing a telecentric optical system and conducting a comprehensive comparison and optimization of several state-of-the-art displacement estimation techniques. Experimental results for a Mach 2 turbulent boundary layer exhibit high spatiotemporal resolution and low uncertainties and are compared against high-fidelity computational results for validation. This work also focuses on the development of BOS velocimetry capabilities, by leveraging ray tracing simulations of an LES turbulent shear layer. Overall this dissertation advances the accuracy, precision, spatial resolution, and capabilities of BOS for fluid dynamic applications relevant to defense and propulsion.</p>

<p>Hypersonic flow conditions, such as temperature, pressure, and flow velocity, are challenging to measure on account of the extreme conditions experienced by a craft moving above Mach 5. At Mach 5, the temperature in stratospheric air behind a normal shock wave exceeds temperatures of 1,300 K, and as the craft speed increases, so does the temperature. At these temperatures and conditions, traditional measurement techniques such as thermocouples and pressure transducers either alter the flow path, affecting the measurement, or they do not survive the external conditions. As such, there is interest in investigating alternative ways to measure flow properties. This thesis focuses on the implementation of several optical measurement techniques designed to determine the flow temperature, density gradient, and flow velocity in a detonation driven shock tube. A detonation driven shock tube was chosen for the project as it reliably creates high-speed, low-density, gas flows that are reminiscent of hypersonic conditions. </p><p>The first optical measurement technique implemented was background oriented schlieren, a measurement technique that quantitatively provides density gradient data. Experimental data obtained at pressures up to 3,000 psia resulted in density gradients at the exit of the detonation tube in good agreement with the literature.</p><p>The detonation tube was also fitted with two fiber optic ports to gather chemiluminescence thermometry data. Both a Stellarnet Black-Comet spectrometer and a Sydor Ross 2000 streak camera were used to capture spectroscopic data at these ports, in order to determine the detonation speed and the rotational temperature of the intermediate OH* combustion products. The Stellarnet spectrometer did not have a fast enough data capture rate to gather reliable data. While the streak camera captured data quickly, we had difficulty gathering enough light from the combustion event and the gathered data was very noisy. The streak camera did however capture the time duration of the full combustion event, so if the fiber connector ports are improved this data taking method could be used in the future to gather rotational temperature data. Both measurement techniques provided some unintrusive measurements of high-speed flows, and improvements to the data taking system could provide much needed information on hypersonic flow conditions. </p>

No description available.

Die vorwiegend experimentelle Arbeit befasst sich mit der systematischen Untersuchung von Parametervariationen bei der aktiven Strömungskontrolle mit elektromagnetischen Kräften. An einer angestellten Platte und einem NACA0015-Profil wurde die saugseitige abgelöste Strömung durch das Einbringen einer periodischen wandparallelen Lorentzkraft an der Vorderkante beeinflusst und experimentell mittels zeitaufgelöster Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) untersucht. Dabei wurde für verschiedene Anstellwinkel und Reynoldszahlen die Frequenz der Anregung, deren Impulseintrag und der zeitliche Kraftverlauf variiert. Strömungsmechanische Untersuchungen experimenteller und numerischer Natur wurden für eine elektrochemische Zelle und den Fall der Elektrolyse an Millieelektroden unter dem Einfluss externer Magnetfelder durchgeführt. Die Übereinstimmung der gemessenen und berechneten Geschwindigkeitsfelder war dabei sehr gut. Entgegen der Annahme, dass im Falle homogener Magnetfelder keine Strömungen induziert werden, konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass durch die lokale Krümmung der elektrischen Feldlinien in Elektrodennähe starke Lorentzkräfte generiert werden. Dies führt zu sehr komplexen Primär-und Sekundärströmungen. Die gleichen Effekte bewirken ebenfalls in der Nähe von Millieelektroden starke Lorentzkräfte in homogenen magnetischen Feldern. Die experimentellen Beobachtungen an Millieelektroden von Leventis et. al (2005), welche zum Beweis der Konzentrationsgradientenkraft herangezogen wurden, konnten alle auf das Wirken lokaler Lorentzkräfte zurückgeführt werden. Der experimentelle Nachweis der Konzentrationsgradientenkraft steht damit weiterhin aus. Zur Messung der Konzentrationen in elektrochemischen Systemen wurde erstmals das Hintergrundschlierenverfahren angewendet. Dieses Verfahren erlaubt die Bestimmung der räumlichen Konzentrationsgradienten mit erheblich weniger messtechnischen Aufwand gegenüber spektroskopischen Methoden und der Schlierentechnik.

L'étude de l'injection d'un fluide dans des conditions de hautes pressions reste encore aujourd'hui un challenge. Lorsque la pression critique des fluides est dépassée, l'état supercritique est atteint, faisant disparaître la distinction entre liquide et gaz. Pour ces conditions extrêmes, les données expérimentales sont peu nombreuses et nécessitent d'être consolidées. Dans cette étude, un nouveau banc d'essai a été réalisé au laboratoire CORIA dans le but d'étudier des injections non-réactives d'éthane et de propane dans une atmosphère sub- et supercritique d'azote ou d'hélium. Les données ont été collectées à partir de quatre diagnostics optiques : l'ombroscopie, la DBI, la radiographie et la CBOS. Des informations qualitatives sur la topologie des jets et de leur couche de mélange sont apportées. Des mesures quantitatives de longueur de cœur dense, d'angle d'ouverture et de densité sont complétées par une étude phénoménologique à l'aide de la théorie des mélanges binaires. / Studying a fluid flow under high-pressure conditions through reliable experiments is still nowadays a challenge. When the chamber pressure exceeds the critical pressure of working fluids the supercritical state of matter is reached and the distinction between gas and liquid becomes blurred. For such special conditions, experimental data are scarce and need to be consolidated. In the present study, a new test bench has been designed at CORIA Lab to study the non-reactive injection of ethane and propane into nitrogen or helium under sub- and supercritical conditions. Experimental data are collected from four image-based techniques : shadowgraphy, diffused backlight illumination (DBI), radiography and color background oriented schlieren (CBOS). Qualitative information on topology of the jets and their mixing layer are provided. Quantitative measurements of dense core length, jet spreading angle and density field are supported by a phenomenological study based on binary mixing theory.

<p>Nanosecond spark plasma actuators provide an opportunity to reduce pollutants by promoting efficient combustion in engines or provide targeted, tunable, flow control over vehicles, due to their ability to influence flow and combustion through multiple mechanisms. The plasma actuators can be physically unobtrusive, can be turned on and off and their low duty cycle, large bandwidth, and light weight make them more appealing than other control approaches. One method by which these plasma actuators interact with the environment is by inducing a complex local flow field and in order, to design scalable, high frequency actuators effectively, it is necessary to first understand the flow induced by a single spark discharge. Most experimental analysis on the flow induced by spark discharges has been restricted to qualitative descriptions of the flow field, primarily due to the difficulties associated with measuring such a transient and highly complex flow with sufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Quantitative, experimental characterization of the flow induced by a spark discharge remains lacking. </p><p> </p><p>A spark discharge produces a shock wave and a hot gas kernel with a complex flow field following the shock. In this work, combined experimental and theoretical characterization of the spark induced flow is performed through a series of high spatiotemporal resolution measurements of the density and velocity fields and reduced-order modeling. The work investigates the mechanisms driving the cooling and vorticity generation in spark induced flow and the 3D nature of the flow field. Planar (2D-3C) and volumetric (3D-3C) velocity measurements are taken using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) and tomographic PIV, respectively. Density measurements are taken using background oriented schlieren (BOS) and high speed schlieren imaging is used to capture the shock wave induced by the spark.</p><p> </p><p>The work shows that spark plasma discharges induce vortex rings whose vorticity is likely generated due to baroclinic torque arising from the non-uniform strength of the induced shock wave. The hot gas kernel cools in two stages: an initially fast cooling regime, followed by a slower cooling process. Reduced order analytical models are developed to describe the cooling observed in the fast regime and the role of the vortex rings in the entrainment of cold ambient gas and the cooling of the hot gas kernel. The results show that the vortex rings entrain ambient gas and drive cooling in the fast, convective regime, cooling approximately 50% of the hot gas within the first millisecond of the induced flow. An increase in the electrical energy deposited in the spark gap increases the shock strength and curvature and increases the vortex ring strength, thereby increasing the cooling rate and expansion of the hot gas kernel. The volumetric velocity measurements capture one of the two induced vortex rings and provide a framework for the improvements needed in future tomographic PIV experiments of the spark induced flow field, necessary in assessing the 3D nature of the induced vortex rings.</p><p> </p><p> The results of this work provide the first set of quantitative, experimental data on flow induced by nanosecond spark discharges that can be used for validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results demonstrate that spark plasmas induce vortex ring-driven mixing flows and the results on mixing and cooling of the hot gas kernel can be extended to any passive scalars present in the flow field as well as inform pulsation frequencies and actuator designs for flow and combustion control. The results from the reduced order modeling can inform future studies and applications of nanosecond spark discharges and can be extended to a variety of other types of plasma discharges like laser sparks, long duration sparks and surface discharges with similar induced flow fields.<br></p>

<p>There is growing interest in the use of nanosecond surface dielectric barrier discharge (ns-SDBD) actuators for high-speed (supersonic/hypersonic) flow control. A plasma discharge is created using a nanosecond-duration pulse of several kilovolts, and leads to a rapid heat release and a complex three-dimensional flow field. Past work has been limited to qualitative visualizations such as schlieren imaging, and detailed measurements of the induced flow are required to develop a mechanistic model of the actuator performance. </p><p><br></p><p></p><p>Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) is a quantitative variant of schlieren imaging and measures density gradients in a flow field by tracking the apparent distortion of a target dot pattern. The distortion is estimated by cross-correlation, and the density gradients can be integrated spatially to obtain the density field. Owing to the simple setup and ease of use, BOS has been applied widely, and is becoming the preferred density measurement technique. However, there are several unaddressed limitations with potential for improvement, especially for application to complex flow fields such as those induced by plasma actuators. </p><p></p><p>This thesis presents a series of developments aimed at improving the various aspects of the BOS measurement chain to provide an overall improvement in the accuracy, precision, spatial resolution and dynamic range. A brief summary of the contributions are: </p><p>1) a synthetic image generation methodology to perform error and uncertainty analysis for PIV/BOS experiments, </p><p>2) an uncertainty quantification methodology to report local, instantaneous, a-posteriori uncertainty bounds on the density field, by propagating displacement uncertainties through the measurement chain,</p><p>3) an improved displacement uncertainty estimation method using a meta-uncertainty framework whereby uncertainties estimated by different methods are combined based on the sensitivities to image perturbations, </p><p>4) the development of a Weighted Least Squares-based density integration methodology to reduce the sensitivity of the density estimation procedure to measurement noise.</p><p>5) a tracking-based processing algorithm to improve the accuracy, precision and spatial resolution of the measurements, </p><p>6) a theoretical model of the measurement process to demonstrate the effect of density gradients on the position uncertainty, and an uncertainty quantification methodology for tracking-based BOS,</p><p>Then the improvements to BOS are applied to perform a detailed characterization of the flow induced by a filamentary surface plasma discharge to develop a reduced-order model for the length and time scales of the induced flow. The measurements show that the induced flow consists of a hot gas kernel filled with vorticity in a vortex ring that expands and cools over time. A reduced-order model is developed to describe the induced flow and applying the model to the experimental data reveals that the vortex ring's properties govern the time scale associated with the kernel dynamics. The model predictions for the actuator-induced flow length and time scales can guide the choice of filament spacing and pulse frequencies for practical multi-pulse ns-SDBD configurations.</p>

Die vorwiegend experimentelle Arbeit befasst sich mit der systematischen Untersuchung von Parametervariationen bei der aktiven Strömungskontrolle mit elektromagnetischen Kräften. An einer angestellten Platte und einem NACA0015-Profil wurde die saugseitige abgelöste Strömung durch das Einbringen einer periodischen wandparallelen Lorentzkraft an der Vorderkante beeinflusst und experimentell mittels zeitaufgelöster Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) untersucht. Dabei wurde für verschiedene Anstellwinkel und Reynoldszahlen die Frequenz der Anregung, deren Impulseintrag und der zeitliche Kraftverlauf variiert. Strömungsmechanische Untersuchungen experimenteller und numerischer Natur wurden für eine elektrochemische Zelle und den Fall der Elektrolyse an Millieelektroden unter dem Einfluss externer Magnetfelder durchgeführt. Die Übereinstimmung der gemessenen und berechneten Geschwindigkeitsfelder war dabei sehr gut. Entgegen der Annahme, dass im Falle homogener Magnetfelder keine Strömungen induziert werden, konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass durch die lokale Krümmung der elektrischen Feldlinien in Elektrodennähe starke Lorentzkräfte generiert werden. Dies führt zu sehr komplexen Primär-und Sekundärströmungen. Die gleichen Effekte bewirken ebenfalls in der Nähe von Millieelektroden starke Lorentzkräfte in homogenen magnetischen Feldern. Die experimentellen Beobachtungen an Millieelektroden von Leventis et. al (2005), welche zum Beweis der Konzentrationsgradientenkraft herangezogen wurden, konnten alle auf das Wirken lokaler Lorentzkräfte zurückgeführt werden. Der experimentelle Nachweis der Konzentrationsgradientenkraft steht damit weiterhin aus. Zur Messung der Konzentrationen in elektrochemischen Systemen wurde erstmals das Hintergrundschlierenverfahren angewendet. Dieses Verfahren erlaubt die Bestimmung der räumlichen Konzentrationsgradienten mit erheblich weniger messtechnischen Aufwand gegenüber spektroskopischen Methoden und der Schlierentechnik.