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Velocity Measurement with Radioactive Spheres
Author(s) -
Yen Ben Chie,
McGillivray Terrence L.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr006i002p00609
Subject(s) - spheres , reynolds number , turbulence , mechanics , flow (mathematics) , range (aeronautics) , radioactive tracer , flow velocity , materials science , physics , nuclear physics , astronomy , composite material
Experimental evidence shows that the use of radioactive spheres as a flow velocity tracer is feasible. The technique involves trapping a small amount of radioisotope inside a sphere and then measuring the motion of the sphere in the flow. For steady uniform subcritical turbulent flows tested with the Reynolds number up to 13,000 and the flow depth to sphere diameter ratio greater than 1.7 the accuracy of flow velocity measurement with floating tracers is usually within ± 7%. The accuracy can be improved if the correction for the relative velocity between the fluid and the sphere is made. The advantages of this technique are its simplicity, its relatively small contamination problem, its low cost, and its potential to be used in a wide range of flow conditions.