Digital particle image thermometry/velocimetry: a review

Digital particle image thermometry/velocimetry (DPIT/V) is a relatively new methodology that allows for measurements of simultaneous temperature and velocity within a two-dimensional domain, using thermochromic liquid crystal tracer particles as the temperature and velocity sensors. Extensive research has been carried out over recent years that have allowed the methodology and its implementation to grow and evolve. While there have been several reviews on the topic of liquid crystal thermometry (Moffat in Exp Therm Fluid Sci 3:14–32, 1990; Baughn in Int J Heat Fluid Flow 16:365–375, 1995; Roberts and East in J Spacecr Rockets 33:761–768, 1996; Wozniak et al. in Appl Sci Res 56:145–156, 1996; Behle et al. in Appl Sci Res 56:113–143, 1996; Stasiek in Heat Mass Transf 33:27–39, 1997; Stasiek and Kowalewski in Opto Electron Rev 10:1–10, 2002; Stasiek et al. in Opt Laser Technol 38:243–256, 2006; Smith et al. in Exp Fluids 30:190–201, 2001; Kowalewski et al. in Springer handbook of experimental fluid mechanics, 1st edn. Springer, Berlin, pp 487–561, 2007), the focus of the present review is to provide a relevant discussion of liquid crystals pertinent to DPIT/V. This includes a background on liquid crystals and color theory, a discussion of experimental setup parameters, a description of the methodology’s most recent advances and processing methods affecting temperature measurements, and finally an explanation of its various implementations and applications.