EAGER: Development of prompt molecular tagging velocimetry and thermometry

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to take advantage of the latest developments in laser diagnostics to develop a new scheme to measure heat transfers in complex flows at an unprecedented resolution. This will represent the first demonstration of the direct measurement of turbulent flow combined with temperature. The new technique will provide a tool to shed insights into this important phenomenon and will lead to the development of new models to improve the operation of many processes. For example, the ability of a fluid to transport heat away from hot surfaces directly affects the efficiency of many systems (e.g., solar panels, nuclear reactors, computer chips, electric car batteries) or affect the drag of moving bodies (e.g., naval ships, airplanes, automobiles). The main objective of the proposed work is to take advantage of the latest developments in the design of molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) to further expand MTV to thermometry with the ability to achieve time-resolved and spatially distributed sensing of heat fluxes in turbulent boundary layers. The research will take advantage of the spectroscopic nature of MTV to select dye and measurement schemes that enable the resolution of the temperature field, instead of an inert dye. The addition of thermometry to the MTV scheme will enable for the first time to measure temperature and velocity fields in an instantaneous manner and at the smallest scales of relevance for many industrial flows. The project will demonstrate the technique in a locally heated turbulent channel flow. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.