Effect of experimental parameters and image noise on the error levels in simultaneous velocity and temperature measurements using molecular tagging velocimetry/thermometry (MTV/T)

In this work, the effect of experimental parameters on the error levels associated with simultaneous measurement of displacement and temperature using Molecular Tagging Velocimetry/Thermometry (MTV/T) was quantified via simulated images. Images were simulated using Gaussian profile laser lines. Noise was added to the images using a uniform random distribution and a Gaussian random distribution to simulate electronic noise and shot noise, respectively. The results showed that the error levels in the displacement and temperature measurements were inversely related for most experimental parameters including the laser line thickness, fluid temperature and image delay times. It is concluded that the dynamic range of the technique depends on the flow speeds and temperatures and must be determined for each experiment individually. Error levels, for 95% confidence, were found to be better than 0.3°C for temperature and 0.2 pixels for displacement for typical real-world experimental parameters.