Impinging Jet Tank

Application

One of our clients required a custom-designed water tank for use in their experimental work on Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) of aqueous solutions containing particulate matter. The tanks walls needed to be optically transparent and suitable for transmitting the laser beam of a double-pulse Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) into the liquid.

Brief

  • One significant design constraint was that the impinging jet tank needed to be assembled in-situ since physical access to the laboratory area was severely restricted by other items of permanently installed equipment.

  • This meant that the component parts of the impinging jet tank had to be small enough to fit through a doorway measuring approximately 2 m high by 0.7 m width.

  • Other design criteria were that the tank needed to be a flat sided square with dimensions of approximately 1 m x 1 m x 1 m, optical access to the base of the tank was also required, and the whole structure needed to be mobile.
Dip probe

APL's Skills & Capabilities

Dip probe

Our engineers came up with a modular design to the structure which allowed for assembly within the confines of the laboratory.

A welded stainless-steel support structure was constructed in a way that it could be partially disassembled to allow it to pass through the limited area of the access doorway.

The side walls and base of the tank were constructed from acrylic sheet and a combination of mechanical fixing and waterproof adhesive were used to provide the necessary strength and water-tightness.