Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) for Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) and Turbulence Modeling Validation

A Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experiment is designed and data collected with intention to validate Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) methods. The PIV data are collected in a narrow rectangular channel for flow Reynolds number near 20,000. The narrow channel and attendant pump, header tanks and flow instrumentation are portable and designed to allow identical tests in a Concord Microsystems MicroPET P4 pre-clinical PET scanner at the pre-clinical Imaging Suite at the UT Hospital. The PIV data are instantaneous velocity field data, allowing statistics on the flow turbulence to be collected in the Eulerian frame. The PEPT method measures activated particle trajectories in time, corresponding to a Lagrangian measurement. The relationship between the PIV data collected herein, and the anticipated PEPT data is explored to provide a path for validating the performance of the PEPT method for flow measurement. The utility of the PEPT method extends to opaque fluids and flow in complex and opaque flow boundaries. These flow conditions are impossible or technically difficult for optical PIV methods to address. The PEPT method also provides full 4 dimensional particle trajectory data, with temporal and spatial resolution competitive with the most advanced optical PIV methods.