Flow field investigations in rotating facilities by means of stationary PIV systems

The flow field inside rotating test sections can be investigated by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV) operated in the phase-locked mode. With this experimental approach, the measurement system is kept fixed and it is synchronized with the periodical passage of the test section. Therefore, the direct output of the PIV measurements is the absolute velocity field, while the relative one is indirectly obtained from proper data processing that relies on accurate knowledge of the peripheral velocity field. This work provides an uncertainty analysis about the evaluation of the peripheral displacement field in phase-locked PIV measurements. The analysis leads to the detection of the levels of accuracy required in the estimation of both the angular velocity and the position of the center of rotation to ensure correct evaluation of the peripheral displacement field. In this regard, a simple methodology is proposed to evaluate the center of rotation position with an accuracy below 1 px. Finally, a procedure to pre-process the PIV images by subtracting the peripheral displacement is described. The advantages of its implementation are highlighted by the comparison with the performance of a more standard methodology where the peripheral field is subtracted from the absolute velocity field and not directly from the PIV raw data.