IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UN SISTEMA PIV DE BAJO COSTO CON PIVLAB COMO HERRAMIENTA DIDÁCTICA PARA EL ANÁLISIS EXPERIMENTAL DE FLUJOS EN INGENIERÍA (IMPLEMENTATION OF A LOW-COST PIV SYSTEM USING PIVLAB AS A DIDACTIC TOOL FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF FLOWS IN ENGINEERING)
Resumen
El estudio experimental de la dinámica de fluidos requiere herramientas que permitan a los estudiantes obtener y analizar datos de manera accesible y precisa. Sin embargo, los sistemas comerciales de Velocimetría por Imágenes de Partículas (PIV) presentan altos costos que limitan su uso en entornos académicos. Este trabajo documenta la implementación de un banco experimental de bajo costo junto con PIVlab, un software libre para análisis PIV aplicado a la caracterización del flujo generado por un propulsor de viento iónico de alto voltaje. Se describe la adaptación del montaje experimental, el procedimiento de adquisición y procesamiento de imágenes mediante correlación cruzada y los resultados obtenidos. El uso del sistema permite generar campos vectoriales que facilitan la interpretación del flujo y, sobre todo, demostrar la viabilidad de un entorno experimental didáctico accesible que fortalece el aprendizaje práctico, promueve el uso de software libre y fomenta competencias técnicas en estudiantes de ingeniería.
Palabras Clave: Dinámica de fluidos, educación en ingeniería, PIV, PIVlab, propulsión eléctrica.
Abstract
The experimental study of fluid dynamics requires tools that enable students to obtain and analyze data in an accessible and accurate manner. However, commercial Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) systems involve high costs that limit their use in academic environments. This work documents the implementation of a low-cost experimental setup combined with PIVlab, an open-source software for PIV analysis, applied to the characterization of the flow generated by a high-voltage ionic wind thruster. The adaptation of the experimental setup, the image acquisition and processing procedure using cross-correlation, and the obtained results are described. The system allowed the generation of vector fields that facilitate flow interpretation and, most importantly, demonstrated the feasibility of an accessible didactic experimental environment that enhances practical learning, promotes the use of open-source software, and fosters technical competencies among engineering students.
Keywords: Electric propulsion, engineering education, fluid dynamics, PIV, PIVlab.
Texto completo:
125-141 PDFReferencias
Adrian, R. J., & Westerweel, J., (2011). Particle Image Velocimetry. Cambridge University Press.
Balducci, A., et al., (2025). Application of the PIV Technique for the Validation of a Numerical Model of Multiphase Flow in an Atomizing Nozzle. Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, 25(2), 48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43452-025-01263-x.
Cengel, Y. A., & Cimbala, J. M., (2018). Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications. McGraw-Hill Education.
Discetti, S., et al., (2022). On the Performance of PIVlab in Complex Flow Measurements. Measurement Science and Technology, 33(4), 045301.
Elliott, J., Minichiello, A., & Caldwell, L., (2021). Implementation of a Low-Cost, Mobile Instructional Particle Image Velocimetry (mI-PIV) Learning Tool for Increasing Undergraduate and Secondary Learners’ Fluid Mechanics Intuition and Interest. ASEE Virtual Annual Conference. https://peer.asee.org/implementation-of-a-low-cost-mobile-instructional-particle-image-velocimetry-mi-piv-learning-tool-for-increasing-undergraduate-and-secondary-learners-fluid-mechanics-intuition-and-interest.
Ergin, F. G., Watz, B. B., & Gade-Nielsen, N. F., (2018). A Review of Planar PIV Systems and Image Processing Tools for Lab-On-Chip Microfluidics. Sensors, 18(9), 3090. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18093090.
Escutia, M., García, A., Hernández, H., & Solorio, G., (2022). Diseño Económico de un Sistema de Velocimetría por Imágenes de Partículas. En XI Congreso Estatal de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación y Quinto Encuentro de Jóvenes Investigadores del Estado de Michoacán. Morelia, México.
LaVision GmbH., (2023). DaVis 10 Software for Intelligent Imaging. Göttingen, Germany.
Liberzon, A., et al., (2019). OpenPIV: Open Source Particle Image Velocimetry. SoftwareX, 9, pp. 123–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2019.02.009.
Margraves, C. H., Sreenivas, K., & Blade, A., (2023). Development of a PIV System for a Junior Level Fluid Mechanics Lab. ASEE Southeast Section Conference. https://peer.asee.org/development-of-a-piv-system-for-a-junior-level-fluid-mechanics-lab.
Minichiello, A., Elliott, J., Caldwell, L., & Margraves, C., (2021). Developing a Mobile Application-Based Particle Image Velocimetry Tool for Enhanced Teaching and Learning in Fluid Mechanics: A Design-Based Research Approach. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 29(4), pp. 758–774. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22290.
Noelle, D., et al., (2025). Particle Image Velocimetry for Ion Wind Thruster Measurement in Low Density Atmosphere. In AIAA Scitech 2025 Forum. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2025-0473.
PIVlab, (2025). PIVlab - Particle Image Velocimetry for MATLAB. https://www.pivlab.de/.
Raffel, M., Willert, C., Scarano, F., Kähler, C. J., Wereley, S. T., & Kompenhans, J., (2018). Particle Image Velocimetry: A Practical Guide. Springer.
Scharnowski, S., Kähler, C. J., & Cierpka, C., (2012). Time-Resolved PIV Investigation of a Transitional Flow in a Narrow Gap. Journal of Visualization, 15(1), pp. 53–60.
Sciacchitano, A., Neal, D., & Discetti, S., (2022). Benchmarking Free and Commercial PIV Software Packages for Educational Use. Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 85, 102183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2022.102183.
Sciacchitano, A., et al., (2023). PIVlab Performance Assessment in Low-Cost Experimental Setups. Experiments in Fluids, 64(2), 45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-023-03685-w.
SmartPIV Team, (2021). SmartPIV: Flow velocity Estimates by Smartphones for Education and Field Studies. Experiments in Fluids, 62(1), 172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-021-03262-z.
Suvanjumrat, C., et al., (2025). An Empirical Investigation into Enhancing Natural Convection Heat Transfer Through Corona Wind in a Needle-To-Cylinder Configuration. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 68, 105864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2025.105864.
Thielicke, W., & Sonntag, R., (2021). Particle Image Velocimetry For MATLAB: Accuracy and Enhanced Algorithms in PIVlab. Journal of Open Research Software, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/jors.334.
Thielicke, W., & Stamhuis, E. J., (2014). PIVlab – Time-Resolved Digital Particle Image Velocimetry Tool for MATLAB. Journal of Open Research Software, 2(1), e30.
URL de la licencia: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.es
Pistas Educativas está bajo la Licencia Creative Commons Atribución 3.0 No portada. 
TECNOLÓGICO NACIONAL DE MÉXICO / INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO DE CELAYA
Antonio García Cubas Pte #600 esq. Av. Tecnológico, Celaya, Gto. México
Tel. 461 61 17575 Ext 5450 y 5146
pistaseducativas@itcelaya.edu.mx