Qualification of multiple-particle positron emission particle tracking (M-PEPT) technique for measurements in turbulent wall-bounded flow

Abstract Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) has been shown to be useful for flow interrogation in opaque systems. In this work, a recently developed method for multiple-particle PEPT (M-PEPT) is employed for measurement of flow in a pipe at Re D  = 42 600, and results are compared to direct numerical simulation (DNS) data to test the capability of M-PEPT for measurement of statistical quantities in turbulent flow. Correction for photon depth of interaction in detectors is seen to be needed and is applied. M-PEPT is shown to be capable of measuring quantities such as mean velocity and acceleration, Reynolds stress, and turbulent kinetic energy budget outside of the near-wall region. Further refinement of the technique is needed to resolve near-wall turbulence features.