Ability to customise in fluid dynamics experiments

[MagnetoBLI]

Is it usual to customise experiments in fluid dynamics and to what extent? I understand that lasers and imaging tools will be fairly untouchable by a fluid dynamicist, although does an experimental role require any 'tampering/customising of general system equipment i.e. rewiring/handy work etc...? I ask as I'm interested in physical/practical problems as well as the theoretical fluid phenomena, however, pushing the 'go button' on an experiment doesn't seem too practical to me.

Thanks,

 

[Thermalne]

The lab I work in has undergraduate and graduate students running PIVs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_image_velocimetry), UVPs (http://www.met-flow.com/index.php?id=8), various temperature measuring devices, etc. I imagine as an thermo-fluids experimentalist you'd learn how to use all types of measuring devices and tinkering to "customize" the experiment.

 

[Ben Espen]

I work in industry, I do not do PIV work myself, but I am familiar with it. Whomever runs the equipment needs to *make it run*. The imaging tools, the lasers, everything fall into the same area of responsibility. Customizing the equipment, rewiring, handy work are all just part of the job. You just better not break it...

 

[reasonableman]

There is also planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF)...

I believe the development cycle for a fluid dynamics research facility/group will have the following flow:

1. Undertake interesting fluid dynamics experiments.
2. Run out of 'interesting' experiments.
3. Upgrade facility OR diagnostics, enabling return to step 1.

Step 3 usually requires lots of practical work, however it can be quite specialised.

 

[K41]

Lol, my research project is about matching potential flow solutions to PIV generated data.