Fluid Dynamics Applications

Flow Direction

This video shows a PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) analysis of a flow. The ProAnalyst PIV toolkit tracks the movement in the flow and calculates a series of velocity vectors representing the flow over time. Vector fields, represented by a grid with directional arrows, are drawn on top of the image. PIV also produces a colorized contour map of the flow. The PIV toolkit is ideal for researchers who study aerodynamics, fluidics, and flows.

ProAnalyst Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) toolkit tracks particle movement in a flow and calculates a series of velocity vectors representing the flow over time. Shown here are examples of some of the PIV toolkit visualization overlays available, including: directional vector overlay, isolated vorticity overlay, and velocity overlay.

Water Vortex with Cavitation

This video shows a projectile fired into a water tank from a Bell helicopter. ProAnalyst tracks the tip and tail of the projectile as it moves through the water. This is an example of a vortex with cavitation in fluid dynamics. As the projectile enters the water at high speed, it spins and creates a vacuum in the fluid that rapidly collapses and produces a shock wave in the liquid. The analysis provides information about the flight dynamics of the projectile and allows us to visualize the flow characteristics of the fluid.

Paint Spray

ProAnalyst's Particle Tracking toolkit is designed to identify the location, size, and shapes of fast-moving particles. This very popular toolkit is used by scientists researching fuels, sprays, paints, medicine delivery, ballistic fragments and more. In this example, paint droplets from a high-power paint sprayer are analyzed.

Tsunami Preparation

In December 2004, a tsunami generated by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake devastated the southern coast of India. Researchers are studying ways to improve their models of tsunamis and tidal waves and determine forecasting methods to improve safety and limit destruction. In the past, wave motion was measured by probes inserted into a wave tank, creating interference with the simulated wave action. Here, scientists use the ProAnalyst 1-D Line Tracking toolkit to position lines along the water's edge and track a wave's motion. ProAnalyst software provides detailed, non-contact analysis for fluid dynamics models.