Review of Refractive Index-Matching Techniques of Polymethyl Methacrylate in Flow Field Visualization Experiments

Table 1

Comparison of different RIM fluid schemes of PMMA.

RIM schemes	RI	Density (g/cm^3)	Viscosity (mPa·s)	Techniques	Estimated cost (CNY/L)	Applications	References
64.8 wt% sodium iodide; 35.2 wt% water	1.491 at 26.7°C	1.84	2.705	LDA	235.16	Turbulent Taylor-Couette flow in an annulus	[37]
64.49 wt% sodium iodide; 35.51 wt% water	1.490	1.88		PIV	233.05	Flow characteristics of simulated fast reactor fuel subassembly	[40]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Unsteady flow field within a two-stage axial turbomachine	[50]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Analysis of the flow field in the entire stage of an axial turbopump	[33]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Average passage flow field and deterministic stresses in the tip and hub regions of a multistage turbomachine	[51]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Analysis of the flow field in the entire stage of an axial turbopump	[52]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Flow nonuniformities and turbulent “hot spots” in a multistage turbomachine	[53]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Flow and turbulence within the wake and boundary layer of a rotor blade in a multistage turbomachine	[54]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Flow structure and turbulence caused by wake-blade and wake-wake interactions within a multistage turbomachine	[55]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Decomposition of the spatially filtered and ensemble averaged kinetic energy in a rotor wake	[56]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490-1.500	1.80	1.980	PIV	216.71-229.74	Turbulence within a multistage turbomachine rotor wake	[57]
62-64 wt% sodium iodide; 36-38 wt% water	1.490	1.80	1.980	Stereoscopic PIV	216.71-229.74	Turbulence within the tip-leakage vortex of an axial waterjet pump	[58]
64 wt% sodium iodide; 36 wt% water	1.490			PIV	229.74	Study on the flow field in a centrifugal pump	[59–61]
64 wt% sodium iodide; 36 wt% water	1.490			PIV	229.74	Frequency and scaling effects of jet interaction in a feedback-free fluidic oscillator	[62]
63.3 wt% sodium iodide; 36.7 wt% water	1.489			PIV	225.10	Gas-fluid flow inside a hydrocyclone with an air core	[63]
63.0 wt% sodium iodide; 37.0 wt% water		1.80	~1.980	PIV	223.14	Vortical structures and turbulence statistics in the near wake of tabs with various geometries	[64]
62.5 wt% sodium iodide; 37.5 wt% water	1.495			PIV	219.90	Flow inside the model of an intake port of an automotive combustion engine	[65]
62.932 wt% sodium iodide; 36.968 wt% water; 0.1 wt% sodium thiosulfate	1.490 at 25°C	1.867	2.603	PIV	259.87	Flow characteristics in a 19-pin wire-wrapped fuel bundle	[66]
62.5 wt% sodium iodide; 36.5 wt% water; 1 wt% sodium thiosulfate	1.495 at 18°C	~1.80	~1.980	PIV	219.90	A versatile refractive-index-matched experimental facility for flow study	[67]
61.6 wt% sodium iodide; 38.4 wt% water	1.485			PIV	214.19	Flow structure and heat transfer characteristics for sphere-packed pipes	[68]
61.6 wt% sodium iodide; 38.4 wt% water	1.485			PIV	214.19	Complex flow structure in a three-dimensionally connected dual elbow	[69]
61.5 wt% sodium iodide; 38.5 wt% water	1.490			LDA	213.56	Flow field downstream spacer grids	[70]
60.0 wt% sodium iodide; 40.0 wt% water	~1.500	~1.73	~2.387	PIV	204.35	Flow field characteristics in single and dual S-shape 90° bends	[71]
60 wt% sodium iodide; 40 wt% water	~1.500	1.73	2.387	PIV	204.35	Internal jet interactions in a fluidic oscillator at low flow rate	[72]
Sodium iodide; Water	~1.500			PIV	204.35	Velocity and deformation in flows through compliant diaphragms	[73]
Sodium iodide; Water	1.485			PIV	214.19	Particle velocities in the rotating impeller of a slurry pump	[74]
Sodium iodide; Water				LDA	213.56	Turbulent characteristics of the flow in an axially rotating pipe	[75]
79 vol% sodium iodide; 20 vol% glycerin; 1 vol% water	1.490 at 25°C	1.75	6.650	LDA	213.56	Mean flow velocity patterns within a ventricular assist device	[76]
79 vol% sodium iodide; 20 vol% glycerin; 1 vol% water	1.490 at 25°C	1.75	6.650	LDA	213.56	Mean velocity and Reynolds stress fields within an artificial heart ventricle	[77]
79 vol% sodium iodide; 20 vol% glycerin; 1 vol% water	1.490 at 25°C	1.75	6.650	Stereoscopic PIV	213.56	Effect of mitral valve orientation on three-dimensional flow in a left ventricle model	[78]
74 vol% sodium iodide; 21 vol% glycerin; 5 vol% distilled water	1.485	1.70	5.40	Micro-PIV	214.19	Flow characterization through a network cell	[79]
Sodium hydroxide; Water				Shadowgraphy PIV, two-tracer LIF		Fluid dynamics and changes of PH in a bubble column	[80]
p-Cymene	1.491			DPTV	116.96	Analysis of the flow field in a rod bundle	[81]
p-Cymene	1.490			PTV	116.96	Movement of large dispersed beads in a vertical column	[82]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.860	1.020	PTV	116.96	Pore geometry and fluid velocity in a bed of irregularly packed spheres	[83]
p-Cymene	1.490			PTV	116.96	Flow velocity fields in a packed bed reactor	[84]
p-Cymene	1.490			PIV	116.96	Flow visualization in a pebble bed reactor	[38]
p-Cymene	1.490			PIV	116.96	Flow fields in a 61-pin wire-wrapped hexagonal fuel bundle	[85–87]
p-Cymene	1.490			Time-resolved PIV	116.96	Flow characteristic in a facility of randomly packed spheres	[88]
p-Cymene	1.490 at 20°C	0.855	0.810	Time-resolved PIV	116.96	Time-resolved velocity measurements in a pipe of randomly packed spheres	[89]
p-Cymene	1.490			PIV	116.96	Flow visualization in a model helical coil steam generator	[41, 90]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.860	1.02	LDA stereoscopic PIV	116.96	Multiphase research on solid–liquid dispersion	[91]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.860	1.020	Binocular camera	116.96	Influence of liquid motions on the dynamics of immersed pendulums	[92]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.860	1.020	Laser sheet scan and CCD camera	116.96	Influence of aspect ratio on the distribution of porosity and velocity in columns of spheres	[93]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.860	1.020	PTV	116.96	Velocity distribution of liquid in porous medium	[94]
p-Cymene	1.489	0.855	1.023	PTV	116.96	Velocities and solid fraction in liquid-granular flows	[95]
p-Cymene	1.491 at 20°C	0.860	0.833	PIV	116.96	Turbulence characteristic in a high-throughput-stirred vessel	[96]
p-Cymene	1.488			PIV, LIFT, DICs, and PT	116.96	Nuclear fuel assembly response to seismic loading	[97]
p-Cymene	1.490 at 20°C	0.860	0.876	LDA	116.96	Internal flow characteristic in scaled pressure-swirl atomizer	[98]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.855	0.810	Time-resolved PIV	116.96	Velocity fields and characteristic in a 61-pin wire-wrapped bundle	[99]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.855	0.810	Time-resolved PIV	116.96	Turbulent flow and vortex characteristics in a blocked subchannel of a wire-wrapped rod bundle	[100]
p-Cymene	1.490	0.855	0.810	Time-resolved PIV	116.96	Cross flow mixing and streamwise vortex characteristics in a randomly packed bed	[101]
99 vol% p-Cymene; 1 vol% cinnamaldehyde	1.492			PLIF	118.27	Flow characteristic in a rod bundle	[102]
98.4-99.2 vol% p-Cymene; 0.8-1.6 vol% cinnamaldehyde	1.490-1.494	0.859-0.860		PLIF	118.01-119.06	Proposed an RIM fluid scheme	[103]
Dibutyl phthalate	1.490	?	15.0	Optical probe	22.92	Vorticity distribution in the liquid flow	[104]
Dibutyl phthalate	1.490 at 25°C	1.05	20.30	PIV	22.92	Velocity field on the fluid-porous medium interface	[105]
Dibutyl phthalate	1.491 at 20°C		21.0	LIF	22.92	Drainage displacement under combined capillary and gravity effects in porous media	[106]
69.2 vol% turpentine; 30.8 vol% tetraline	1.489 at 25.15°C	0.894	1.530	LDA	38.11	Velocity characteristic of steady flows through engine inlet ports and cylinders	[35]
68.2 vol% turpentine; 31.8 vol% tetraline	1.489 at 25.15°C	0.894	1.46	LDA	38.18	Particle motion and turbulence in dense two-phase flows	[107]
68.2 vol% turpentine; 31.8 vol% tetraline	1.489 at 25.15°C	0.894	1.458	LDA	38.18	Particle velocities in a swirling, confined flow	[108]
68.2 vol% turpentine; 31.8 vol% tetraline	1.489 at 25.15°C	0.894	1.458	LDA	38.18	Flow in the coolant passages of an internal combustion engine cylinder head	[34]
62.9 vol% turpentine; 37.1 vol% tetraline	1.491	0.890	1.47	LDA	38.54	Sedimentation and sediment flow in settling tanks with inclined walls	[109]
72.2 vol% tetraline; 27.8 vol% absolute alcohol	1.490 at 25°C	0.918	1.407		32.47	Purposed an RIM fluid scheme	[110]
85 wt% Triton X-100; 15 wt% water	1.470	1.06	320	PIV	22.43	Mobile granular layer in bedload transport by laminar-shearing flows	[111]
Triton X-100	1.489	1.07	240	LDA	23.56	Wall slip velocity coefficients in concentrated suspensions of noncolloidal particles	[112]
Triton X-100; Zinc chloride; Demineralized water	1.491		at 23°C	Digital CCD camera	158.84	Full shear-induced self-diffusion tensor of noncolloidal suspensions	[113]
77.93 wt% Triton X-100; 9.01 wt% zinc chloride; 13.06 wt% water			at 27°C	CCD color camera	190.34	Shear-induced radial segregation in the parallel-plate geometry	[114]
76.2 wt% Triton X-100; 14.35 wt% zinc chloride; 9.31 wt% water; 0.14 wt% hydrochloric acid	1.491			PIV; PTV	158.84	Interaction of two small freely moving spheres in a linear flow field of yield stress fluids	[115]
76 wt% Triton X-100; 16.2 wt% zinc chloride; 7.8 wt% water	1.491 at 20°C	1.18	at 23°C	Time-lapse video record	152.38	Concentration band dynamics in free-surface Couette flow of a suspension	[116]
50 vol% Triton X-100; 23 vol% 1,6-dibromohexane; 13.5 vol% UCON 75-H-90000; 13.5 vol% UCON 75-H-450	1.4873 at 20°C	1.18	480 at 20°C	LDA	48.26	Motion of concentrated suspensions in two-dimensional channel flow	[24, 25]
77 wt% UCON 75-H-90000; 23 wt% D.E.R331 liquid epoxy resin	1.489			PIV	35.75	Drop deformation and break-up in concentrated suspensions	[117]
62 wt% UCON 50-HB-5100; 38 wt% tetrabromoethane	1.491		at 21.6 °C; 1.72 ×103 at 29°C	Video recordings	237.98	Particle clusters in concentrated suspensions	[118]
35.66 wt% UCON 75-H-90000; 14.07 wt% TBE; 50.27 wt% Triton X-100; 0.014 wt% Tinuvin 328	1.491	1.18	at 23.15°C	NMRI	85.98	Particle migration in Couette flow of concentrated suspensions	[119, 120]
33.7 wt% UCON oil; 24.4 wt% TBE; 41.8 wt% terpineol; 0.1 wt% Tinuvin	1.491			High-speed-digitized video system	128.25	Particle motions in concentrated suspensions	[121]
62.2 wt% UCON oil; 37.7 wt% TBE; 0.1 wt% Tinuvin	1.491			High-speed-digitized video system	173.29	Solid particle dynamics in shear flow	[122]
UCON oil; TBE; Triton X-100; 0.3 wt% Tinuvin 328	1.491	1.18		LDA	46.32	Slow viscous flows of highly concentrated suspensions	[26, 27]
Sunflower oil	1.473			LDA	220.80	Shear stresses and mixing in progressive flow regimes within annular-flow bioreactors	[22]
Canola oil	1.470		43.0	Shadow imaging; PTV	18.2	Flow velocity in porous media	[123]
65.6 vol% cyclohexyl bromide; 34.4 vol% decalin			2.06	Confocal laser-scanning microscopy	312.49	Structure and dynamics of colloidal depletion gels	[30]
74 wt% cyclohexyl bromide; 26 wt% decalin	1.490			Camera	323.92	Particle dynamics and effective temperature of jammed granular matter in a slowly sheared three-dimensional	[124]
Cyclohexyl bromide; Decalin; Tetrabutyl-ammonium chloride	~1.490			CARS microscopy	308.15	Repulsive and attractive colloidal glasses	[31]
Cyclohexyl bromide; Decalin; Tetraline	1.490			Confocal fluorescence microscopy	315.91	Structure and dynamical heterogeneities near the colloid-gel transition	[28, 32]
Decalin; Tetraline; Carbon tetrachloride	~1.490			Fluorescent confocal-scanning laser microscopy	174.75	Dynamical heterogeneities in colloidal hard-sphere suspensions	[29]
85.5 vol% diethyl phthalate; 14.5 vol% ethanol	1.486 at 48.5°C				15.41	Flow visualization in hydraulic cardiovascular models	[125]
71 wt% potassium thiocyanate; 29 wt% water	1.491			LDA	13.10	Axial flow field in stenosed carotid artery bifurcation models	[21]
60.36 wt% ammonium thiocyanate; 39.64 wt% water		1.13	2.06	Stereoscopic PIV	10.54	Transitional and turbulent flow in a bed of spheres	[126]
60.36 wt% ammonium thiocyanate; 39.64 wt% water		1.13	2.06	PIV	10.54	Transitional and turbulent flow in a bed of spheres	[127]
Potassium thiocyanate; Ammonium thiocyanate; Water				LDA	13.10	Steady flow in abdominal aortic aneurysm models	[20]
Potassium thiocyanate; Ammonium thiocyanate; Glycerin	1.490			Videotape recording	13.10	Oscillatory flow in a model bifurcation	[128]
Ammonium thiocyanate; Glycerin; Water	1.485-1.488		4.990		26	Purposed an RIM fluid scheme	[129]
Glycerin				PIV; PTV; PLIF	26	Flow and separation characteristic of concentrated liquid–liquid dispersions	[130]
Glycerin; Water				Microfiber sensor	15	Proposed a waveguide device based on near infrared fingerprint spectrum	[131]
Glycerin; Water				Hot film anemometer, LDA	15	Flow development in curved circular pipes	[132]
45 vol% glycerin; 55 vol% water				Tomographic PIV	12.26	Airflow in disordered nasal cavity and its corrected models	[19]
40.67 wt% glycerin; 22.82 wt% ethylene glycol; 36.51 wt% styrene glycol			280	Marked particle and stopwatch	51.80	Shear-induced self-diffusion in concentrated suspensions of spheres	[133]
60 vol% glycerin; 40 vol% water	1.420	~1.10	1.10-1.38	Digital in-line holography	16.01	Flow characterization in a lid-driven cylindrical cavity	[134]
2,2-thiodiethanol; Phosphate-buffered saline; Glycerin	1.489 at 22.25°C	1.19		PIV	75	Purposed an RIM fluid scheme	[135]
Glycerin; Water		1.267	1500	Three-dimensional flow visualization arrangement	15	Blob mechanics in flow through porous media	[136]
60.82 wt% zinc iodide; 39.18 wt% water	1.494 at 21°C			Electromagnetic mirror scanner	1728.23	Internal flow of ink jet aspirators	[137]
Hexadecane; Microscope oil		0.890	25.0	PIV	1123.60	Flow of a very concentrated slurry in a parallel-plate device	[138]
Shellflex 214 BG oil; Kerosene	~1.490		10.0 at 40 °C	LDA		Steady entry flow in a curved pipe	[36]
Kerosene	1.440				10	Purposed an RIM fluid scheme	[139]
8.9 wt% cassia oil; 91.1 wt% castor oil	1.489	0.970		PIV	24.43	Wall slip and slip layer thickness of hard-sphere suspensions	[140]
61.5 wt% sucrose; 38.5 wt% water	1.446	1.30	79.0	PIV; PLIF	20.20; 20.81	Mixing process of two miscible fluids in a lid-driven cavity	[141]
66.5 wt% sucrose; 8.87 wt% sodium chloride; 24.63 wt% water	1.481 at 25°C	1.41	1.36 ×103	PIV	23.69	Mechanisms for drawdown of floating particles in a laminar-stirred tank flow	[142]
77.2 wt% maltose; 22.8 wt% water	1.487 at 21°C	1.39		PIV	209.17	Flow fields under laminar conditions in two typical regions of a cavity transfer dynamic mixer	[143]
Silicon fluid	1.490	0.990	40.4	Camera digital thermometer	220	Flow visualization and heat transfer in packed beds	[144]
50 vol% Isane; 50 vol% Marcol				PIV		Multiphase flow characterization in the nuclear fuel reprocessing	[145]
Dow Corning 550; Dow Corning 200	~1.490			Laser anemometer	880.16	Fluid velocity inside porous media	[146]
83 wt% Dow Corning 550; 17 wt% Dow Corning 556	1.489 at 19.8°C			Camera	941.57	Pore-scale flow and transport in porous media	[147]
84 wt% Dow Corning 550; 16 wt% Dow Corning 556	1.490	1.05	0.9975	PLIF	952.84	Pore-scale flow and transport in porous media	[148]
73 wt% Dow Corning 550; 27 wt% Union Carbide L42	1.491 at 13.8°C	1.06 at 25°C		PIV	831.52	Flow measurement in porous media	[149]
83 wt% Dow Corning 550; 17 wt% Dow Corning 556	1.489 at 19.8 °C			PTV	941.57	Velocity fields and their volumetric averaging characteristic in porous media	[150]
81.96 wt% Dow Corning 550; 18.03 wt% Dow Corning 556	1.491	0.887	53.2	TV camera	930	Flow visualization in single- and double-brush-sealing rings	[151]