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The EFML Teaching Flume was funded by grants from: The National Science Foundation
The CU Engineering Excellence Fund
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| Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. | ||||||||||||||||
| Description: The EFML Teaching Flume is a dedicated fluid-flow facility for interactive instruction of fluid mechanics at the University of Colorado. The facility has a planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) system for visualization of complex flow phenomena. This site provides summary information about the facility construction, PLIF system, and curricular assessment. For more detailed information, see the References or contact me at crimaldi@colorado.edu | ||||||||||||||||
| Above: The flume and PLIF system in use. | ||||||||||||||||
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| The photo showing some of the construction details, including the steel frame and the aluminum rails with sliding equipment carts on the top and bottom of the flume. A thin rubber sheet protects the glass panelsfrom the steel frame, and aquarium sealant is used to seal 1/2" gaps left between glass edges. |
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| Above: Photo of the completed flume. Flow is from left to right in this image. | ||||||||||||||||
Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) System The Teaching flume has a dedicated PLIFsystem for visualization of simple and complex flow phenomena. The system uses a low-power argon laser and a set of optics to create a thin laser sheet in the flume. Fluorescent dye in the fluid is rendered visible in the sheet and can be quantitatively imaged using a digital camera. A schematic of the system is shown below; details can be found in Crimaldi and Koseff (2001) and Crimaldi and Knight (2005). |
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Above:
Schematic of the PLIF System |
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Examples
of qualitative (left) and quantitative (right) results from the
PLIF system. These images were taken as part of the PI's Transport
and Dispersion in Surface Water course. |
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Above:
Transect data across a turbluent plume compared with the Gaussian
theory. |
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Click here for a Quicktime movie of a jet made by a student using the PLIF system in the teaching flume. The movie shows a co-flowing jet of dye at a range of Reynolds numbers. |
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Assessment As part of a pilot study, the laboratory instructional module was incorporated into a single topic within the curriculum of a graduate-level fluid mechanics course. The laboratory treatment was used in addition to a traditional lecture-based treatment of the topic. Assessment methods including a content knowledge test and attitude surveys were used to examine the impact of the module on student learning and interest in engineering. Results revealed that the instructional module had added value over the lecture for increasing students’ content knowledge (+50%). In addition, the visualization module received a significantly higher rating on the attitude survey than the lecture method for level of enjoyment, learning of content, and the development of interest in engineering. The results are documented in Crimaldi and Knight (2005); a summary of the results is given below. |
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References (also see my Publications page) Crimaldi, J.P. and J.R. Koseff (2001) High-resolution measurements of the spatial and temporal scalar structure of a turbulent plume. Experiments in Fluids 31, 90-102. Crimaldi, J.P. and D.W. Knight (2005) “A Laser-Based Flow Visualization System for Fluid Mechanics Instruction.” Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education Conference, Portland, Oregon.
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