In-Vitro Experiments for Visualization and Measurement of Flow Convergences Using a New Calibrated Two-Dimensional Soap Film Tunnel

Abstract

Clinical methods using color Doppler imaging of the flow convergence (FC) proximal to regurgitant orifices can estimate regurgitant flow (RF) rate but results often overestimate the RF and controversies exist over the effect of adjacent surfaces and the most appropriate FC geometries to use for computation. Little direct flow visualization data exists to clarify the assumptions in these methods. Soap film flow visualization provides an accurate means of identifying isovelocity lines because the local thickness and reflected color of the film is proportional to the local velocity field and streamlines may be visualized. We have studied visualized FC flows in soap films, through orifices of 3.5 mm to 6.7 mm (diameter) at flow rates of 0.5 to 3.2 m/s.

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