A method for three-dimensional particle sizing in two-phase flows

A method is devised for true three-dimensional (3D) particle sizing in two-phase systems. Based on a ray-optics approximation of the Mie scattering theory for spherical particles, and under given assumptions, the principle is applicable to intensity data from scatterers within arbitrary interrogation volumes. It requires knowledge of the particle 3D location and intensity, and of the spatial distribution of the incident light intensity throughout the measurement volume. The new methodology is particularly suited for Lagrangian measurements: we demonstrate its use with the defocusing digital particle image velocimetry technique, a 3D measurement technique that provides the location, intensity and velocity of particles in large volume domains. We provide a method to characterize the volumetric distribution of the incident illumination and we assess experimentally the size measurement uncertainty.