Two-time interval method to circumvent particle image velocimetry dynamic range

In the velocity range outside the velocity-dynamic range of a PIV (particle image velocimetry) system, the velocity measurements are known to result in noisy velocity vectors due to erroneous detection of correlation peaks, especially in the low-velocity region. Here a simple method is proposed that uses two different timings of a pulsed laser, in conjunction with a median-test of residuals based on the velocity data, to resolve both low and high velocities in a flow field. This method detects the erroneous vectors and replaces them with the correct vectors via a comparison of two sets of PIV data, procured simultaneously with an appropriate time-delay. The validation of the proposed method is demonstrated via a comparison of the present experimental data with previous experiments and DNS (direct numerical simulations) of a round turbulent jet.•The method uses two-time intervals to resolve two sets of velocities such that each set falls within the dynamic range of PIV corresponding to the time interval. (Dynamic range heavily depends on time interval).•A quantity called normalised residual median is defined based on "universal outlier detector" which is used to consolidate the two sets of data.•The strength of the method lies in its ability to obtain instantaneous entrainment velocity even in an unsteady flow.