A Laboratory Modeling of the Velocity Field in the Convective Boundary Layer with the Particle Image Velocimetry Technique

Based on the research of the convective boundary layer (CBL) temperature field in a convective tank, this paper studies the characteristics of the CBL velocity field in the convective tank. Aluminium powder (400 orders) is used as a tracer particle in the application of the particle image velocimetry (PIV)technique. The experiment demonstrates: the velocity distribution in the mixed layer clearly possesses the characteristics of CBL thermals; the velocity distribution in the top zone of the mixed layer shows entrainment layer characteristics; the vertical distribution of turbulent characteristic variables is reasonable,which is similar to field observations and other tank results; the error analysis demonstrates the validity of aluminium powder, which implies the reliability of the results.