End-wall errors in temperature measurement of external convective heat transfer with Moire deflectometry

Moire deflectometry is a robust and simple optical method that allows obtaining the temperature field in flows with uniform pressure and two-dimensional and axisymmetric flows. Since in real configurations it is not possible to keep exactly the hypothesis of two-dimensional flow, it is necessary to asses this influence. Therefore this work studies a procedure to estimate the errors due to the end-wall and 3-D effects when Moire deflectometry is used for measuring the temperature field of an external convective heat transfer flow with free edges. According to the value of the parameter Gr/Re-2, results show two tendencies. The error in temperature measurement is smaller than 1% for ratios of thermal boundary layer thickness to the test field width lower than 0.4, in turbulent forced convection flows for temperature differences of 40 K. Temperature effects are significative, multiplying the error by two for a temperature difference 50% greater. These results enable researchers to evaluate the errors of this measurement technique associated with the end-wall effect. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.