A new particle-image-velocimetry (PIV)-data-processing method
called multi-intensity-layer PIV is developed and applied for injector
spray analysis. It uses the principle that the light intensity scattered
from a small particle is proportional to its diameter squared at a certain
angle. The light-intensity information was used to provide diameter
information from PIV data. There are two methods of uncertainty analysis:
intensity weighted and number-density weighted. The measurement results
demonstrated that the droplet dynamics for droplets of various diameters
can be described by this multi-intensity-layer PIV, that is, small droplets
followed the vortex shearing and highly turbulent flows, whereas larger
droplets penetrated the shear flow. It was found that this
multi-intensity-layer PIV would be a useful method for describing spatial
droplet-spray behaviour in a practical spray diagnostic.