DIY-PIV system for Poiseuille flow investigation in undergraduate fluid mechanics course

Fluid flow visualization techniques are becoming more widespread every year due to the availability of lasers, high-speed cameras, and the development of a large amount of image processing software. Nowadays, one of the most popular methods of flow optical visualization is particle image velocimetry (PIV). PIV is an innovative way to measure and analyze fluid characteristics, giving students a more in-depth understanding of how fluids move. This paper is focused on using low-cost components and free software to implement PIV for Poiseuille flow investigation in an undergraduate fluid mechanics course. The introduction discusses how PIV is being used as a complementary method in educational institutions, highlights the high cost of equipment to implement PIV, and gives examples of low-cost do-it-yourself (DIY)-PIV systems. The following sections present the theoretical background, descriptions of the DIY-PIV experimental setup, and plan of the investigation for the Poiseuille flow analysis. A brief overview of free image processing software for the PIV implementation is also provided. The last section presents the results of the Poiseuille flow study and analyzes the measurement quality using the created DIY-PIV system. The present experimental investigation covers topics and reinforces skills related to concepts: laminar flow, Poiseuille flow (velocity distribution, maximum and average velocity), Reynolds number, and measurement error.