Physically-Based Interactive Flow Visualization Based on Schlieren and Interferometry Experimental Techniques.

Area of Science:

• Fluid dynamics
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
• Optical imaging techniques

Background:

• Experimental fluid flow analysis relies on techniques like shadowgraph, interferometry, and schlieren imaging for observing inhomogeneous flows.
• These methods provide intuitive and informative global analysis of fluid dynamics through light refraction.
• Previous computational simulations of these optical effects were complex and computationally intensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel computational method for simulating synthetic shadowgraph, schlieren, and interferometry images.
• To generate these images from time-varying scalar fields derived from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data.
• To enable interactive-rate computation of physically accurate optical flow visualizations.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a combination of GPGPU programming and acceleration methods for efficient computation.
• Implementing data-dependent probabilistic schlieren cutoffs for accurate image generation.
• Simulating the physical interaction of light refraction through CFD-derived flow fields.

Main Results:

• Physically accurate synthetic schlieren and shadowgraph images were generated at interactive rates.
• The method successfully processed multifield CFD data.
• Custom application-dependent color filters were explored and applied.

Conclusions:

• The novel simulation method significantly advances the ability to visualize fluid flow dynamics computationally.
• It bridges the gap between complex CFD data and intuitive optical imaging techniques.
• This approach offers a powerful tool for analyzing and understanding fluid flow phenomena.