No Arabic abstract
We present a new particle image correlation technique for resolving nanoparticle flow velocity using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The two primary issues that complicate nanoparticle scanning laser image correlation (SLIC) based velocimetry are (1) the use of diffusion dominated nanoparticles as flow tracers, which introduce a random decorrelating error into the velocity estimate, and (2) the effects of the scanning laser image acquisition, which introduces a bias error. To date, no study has quantified these errors or demonstrated a means to deal with them in SLIC velocimetry. In this work, we build upon the robust phase correlation (RPC) and existing methods of SLIC to quantify and mitigate these errors. First, we implement an ensemble RPC instead of using an ensemble standard cross correlation, and develop an SLIC optimal filter that maximizes the correlation strength in order to reliably and accurately detect the correlation peak representing the most probable average displacement of the nanoparticles. Secondly, we developed an analytical model of the SLIC measurement bias error due to image scanning of diffusion dominated tracer particles. We show that the bias error depends only on the ratio of the mean velocity of the tracer particles to that of the laser scanner and we use this model to correct the induced errors. We validated our technique using synthetic images and experimentally obtained SLIC images of nanoparticle flow through a micro-channel. Our technique reduced the error by up to a factor of ten compared to other SLIC algorithms for the images tested in this study. Moreover, our optimized RPC filter is reducing the number of image pairs required for the convergence of the ensemble correlation by two orders of magnitude compared to the standard cross correlation.
Uncertainty quantification for Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is critical for comparing flow fields with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results, and model design and validation. However, PIV features a complex measurement chain with coupled, non-linear error sources, and quantifying the uncertainty is challenging. Multiple assessments show that none of the current methods can reliably measure the actual uncertainty across a wide range of experiments. Because the current methods differ in assumptions regarding the measurement process and calculation procedures, it is not clear which method is best to use for an experiment. To address this issue, we propose a method to estimate an uncertainty methods sensitivity and reliability, termed the Meta-Uncertainty. The novel approach is automated, local, and instantaneous, and based on perturbation of the recorded particle images. We developed an image perturbation scheme based on adding random unmatched particles to the interrogation window pair considering the signal-to-noise (SNR) of the correlation plane. Each uncertainty schemes response to several trials of random particle addition is used to estimate a reliability metric, defined as the rate of change of the inter-quartile range (IQR) of the uncertainties with increasing levels of particle addition. We also propose applying the meta-uncertainty as a weighting metric to combine uncertainty estimates from individual schemes, based on ideas from the consensus forecasting literature. We use PIV measurements across a range of canonical flows to assess the performance of the uncertainty schemes.The results show that the combined uncertainty method outperforms the individual methods, and establish the meta-uncertainty as a useful reliability assessment tool for PIV uncertainty quantification.
Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is a non-destructive, highly-efficient optical characterization method for large-area analysis of graphene on different substrates, which can be applied in ambient air, does not require additional sample preparation, and is insusceptible to surface charging and surface contamination. CLSM leverages optical properties of graphene and provides greatly enhanced optical contrast and mapping of thickness down to a single layer. We demonstrate the effectiveness of CLSM by measuring mechanically exfoliated and chemical vapor deposition graphene on Si/SiO2, and epitaxial graphene on SiC. In the case of graphene on Si/SiO2, both CLSM intensity and height mapping is powerful for analysis of 1-5 layers of graphene. For epitaxial graphene on SiC substrates, the CLSM intensity allows us to distinguish features such as dense, parallel 150 nm wide ribbons of graphene (associated with the early stages of the growth process) and large regions covered by the interfacial layer and 1-3 layers of graphene. In both cases, CLSM data shows excellent correlation with conventional optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, conductive atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Raman mapping, with a greatly reduced acquisition time. We demonstrate that CLSM is an indispensable tool for rapid analysis of mass-produced graphene and is equally relevant to other 2D materials.
A three-dimensional (3D) scanning velocimetry system is developed to quantify the 3D configurations of particles and their surrounding volumetric, three-component velocity fields. The approach uses a translating laser sheet to rapidly scan through a volume of interest and sequentially illuminate slices of the flow containing both tracers seeded in the fluid and particles comprising the aggregation of interest. These image slices are captured by a single high-speed camera, encoding information about the third spatial dimension within the image time-series. Where previous implementations of scanning systems have been developed for either volumetric flow quantification or 3D object reconstruction, we evaluate the feasibility of accomplishing these tasks concurrently with a single-camera, which can streamline data collection and analysis. The capability of the system was characterized using a study of induced vertical migrations of millimeter-scale brine shrimp (Artemia salina). Identification and reconstruction of individual swimmer bodies and 3D trajectories within the migrating aggregation were achieved up to the maximum number density studied presently, $8 , times,10^5$ animals per $textrm{m}^3$. This number density is comparable to the densities of previous depth-averaged 2D measurements of similar migrations. Corresponding velocity measurements of the flow indicate that the technique is capable of resolving the 3D velocity field in and around the swimming aggregation. At these animal number densities, instances of coherent flow induced by the migrations were observed. The accuracy of these flow measurements was confirmed in separate studies of a free jet at $Re_D = 50$.
The biotransport of the intravascular nanoparticle (NP) is influenced by both the complex cellular flow environment and the NP characteristics. Being able to computationally simulate such intricate transport phenomenon with high efficiency is of far-reaching significance to the development of nanotherapeutics, yet challenging due to large length-scale discrepancies between NP and red blood cell (RBC) as well as the complexity of NP dynamics. Recently, a lattice-Boltzmann (LB) based multiscale simulation method has been developed to capture both NP scale and cellular level transport phenomenon at high computational efficiency. The basic components of this method include the LB treatment for the fluid phase, a spectrin-link method for RBCs, and a Langevin dynamics (LD) approach to capturing the motion of the suspended NPs. Comprehensive two-way coupling schemes are established to capture accurate interactions between each component. The accuracy and robustness of the LB-LD coupling method are demonstrated through the relaxation of a single NP with initial momentum and self-diffusion of NPs. This approach is then applied to study the migration of NPs in a capillary vessel under physiological conditions. It is shown that Brownian motion is most significant for the NP distribution in capillary vessels. For 1~100 nm particles, the Brownian diffusion is the dominant radial diffusive mechanism compared to the RBC-enhanced diffusion. For ~500 nm particles, the Brownian diffusion and RBC-enhanced diffusion are comparable drivers for the particle radial diffusion process.
The atmospheric incoming flow of a wind turbine is intimately connected to its power production as well as its structural stability. Here we present an incoming flow measurement of a utility-scale turbine at the high spatio-temporal resolution, using super-large-scale particle image velocimetry (SLPIV) with natural snowflakes. The datasets include over a one-hour duration of incoming flow with a field of view of 85 m (vertical) x 40 m (streamwise) centered at 0.2 rotor diameter upstream of the turbine. The mean flow shows the presence of the induction zone and a distinct region with enhanced vertical velocity. Time series of nacelle sonic anemometer and SLPIV measured streamwise velocity outside the induction zone show generally matched trends with time-varying discrepancies potentially due to the induction effect and the flow acceleration around the nacelle. These discrepancies between the two signals, characterized by the sonic-SLPIV velocity ratio, is normally distributed and is less than unity 85% of the time. The velocity ratio first decreases with increasing wind speed up to around the rated speed of the turbine, then plateaus, and finally rises with a further increase in wind speed. With conditional sampling, the distribution of the velocity ratio shows that larger yaw error leads to an increase in both the mean and the spread of the distribution. Moreover, as the incident angle of the incoming flow changes from negative to positive (i.e. from pointing downward to upward), the velocity ratio first decreases as the angle approaches zero. With further increase of the incidence angle, the ratio then plateaus and fluctuations are augmented. Finally, our results show that the intensity of short-term velocity fluctuation has a limited impact on the sonic-SLPIV velocity ratio.