Flow Visualization

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Flow visualization is a tool used to monitor the flow patterns in a HSR model. The preferred method at the Applied River Engineering Center is to dye the water black and seed the water surface with dry white sediment (Poly-Urea-grit) at the model entrance. The dry sediment floats on the top of the water surface and provides a visual representation of surface flow patterns in the model. A high definition video camera is used to record approximately 30 seconds of the sediment floating through the study area. The recording is processed with software that reduces the original recording to approximately 20% of the original speed. The video speed reduction allows viewer to more easily track the flow patterns.