Quantification of Hydrodynamic Variability in Surface and Near-Bed Velocities Using Thermal Infrared Cameras and In-Situ Velocity Profilers
Date
2014-05
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The study of fluid mechanics and its applications is a growing and vastly
changing field. The ability to determine how water moves and how this movement
causes the bed underneath to react is still very uncertain. Many studies have been
performed using in-situ velocity profilers to determine some of the attributes, less have been performed using particle image velocimetry from cameras, and even less have been done comparing the two with the use of infrared cameras. Developing
relationships between the surface and sub-surface velocities, vorticity, and turbulent
kinetic energy can help us further understand and predict the flow of water, disruption of sea beds and protect our coasts. Velocity, sediment density, and camera imaging data were gathered during the spring of 2011 at the St. Jones Reserve in Dover, Delaware and all information for this study was taken from April 17th of that year.
Comparisons between different instruments measuring velocities were made using the forward looking infrared (FLIR) Infrared camera software paired with electromagnetic current meters (EMCM) to find velocities and ultra-sonic distance meters (UDM) to gauge water depth.