A proposed particle image velocimetry (PIV) system for instructional purposes in a modern mechanical engineering undergraduate laboratory program

Hands-on laboratory skills play a vital role in providing the students with genuine understanding of the scientific fundamentals and their application in solving of the real-life engineering problems. One of the key areas of focus at our institute is state of the art modern laboratories that can prepare the next generation of mechanical engineering students to assume successful career paths in the Energy industry in the 21^st century. Among the essential topics in fluid mechanics, the study of fluid flow visualization using non-destructive optical methods is extremely important. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a modern and powerful method for investigating fluid flow. PIV has many applications in research and engineering, including in the oil/gas and the broader energy area. The purpose of this paper is to propose a PIV system that can effectively serve to cover the fundamental operation of the device, its applications, and demonstration of fluid mechanics concepts through carefully designed experiments.