INTRODUCTION PRINCIPLE LASER DOPPLER VELOCIMETER PROS AND CONS APPLICATIONS REAL TIME USAGE

Laser Doppler velocimetry(LDV) is also known as Laser Doppler anemometry LDV is a technique used to make instanteneous velocity measurements of fluid flow It is the technique of using the doppler shift in a laser beam to measure the velocity in transparent or semitransparent fluid flows

It is non-intrusive (no physical probe in the flow) It delivers measurements independent of ambient conditions It measures three directional components It has a dynamic range from natural convection to supersonic velocities.

LDV makes use of the coherent wave nature of laser light. This Doppler frequency is proportional to a component of the particles velocity which is perpendicular to the planar fringe pattern produced by the beam crossing.

If the sensor is aligned to the flow such that the fringes are perpendicular to the flow direction, the electrical signal from the photodetector will then be proportional to the full particle velocity.

The laser Doppler velocimeter sends a monochromatic laser beam toward the target and collects the reflected radiation. By doppler effect the velocity of the object can be obtained by measuring the change in wavelength of the reflected laser light, which is done by forming an interference fringe pattern

Change in wavelength of reflected radiation is a function of targeted objects relative velocity

A laser power source is the essential part of a laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV). Typically, a Helium-Neon (HeNe) or Argon ion laser with a power of 10 mW to 20 W is used. Prism is used as a beam splitter in LDV

High Coherence Excellent frequency stability

Highly focussed energy and brightness

Directionality Monochromatic

Focussing lens is used to focus light from prism onto the particle flow Receiver lens is used to collect the reflected light from the target

Photodetector is used to detect the light from the receiver lens

The reflected light detected by the photodetector will have a different wavelength due to reflection

Change in wavelength is caused by the interference fringe pattern(superimpose the original and reflected signals) By employing Doppler Effect velocity of flow can be determined To improve signal-to-noise ratios, a highly reflective material (e.g. tape with small reflective beads) can be attached to the vibrating target.

Pros: -Non-contacting measurement. -Very high frequency response. Cons: Sufficient transparency is required between the laser source, the target surface, and the photodetector (receiver). -Accuracy is highly dependent on alignment of emitted and reflected beams.

Expensive; fortunately, prices have dropped as commercial lasers have matured.

FLOW RESEARCH Wind tunnel velocity experiments for testing aerodynamics of aircraft, missiles, cars, trucks, trains, and buildings and other structures Velocity measurements in water flows (research in general hydrodynamics, ship hull design, rotating machinery, pipe flows, channel flow, etc.). Fuel injection and spray research where there is a need to measure velocities inside engines or through nozzles Environmental research (combustion research, wave dynamics, coastal engineering, tidal modeling, river hydrology, etc)

MEDICAL APPLICATIONS Laser Doppler velocimetry is used in hemodynamics research as a technique to partially quantify blood flow in human tissues such as skin.