On board of chemical tankers the migration of toxic vapors into the superstructure of the ship is an important health issue. The study of the air flow plays a key role in the analysis of this problem. One of the methods to investigate this situation is by means of scale models of ships placed in an air flow in which a fog is injected by a so-called smoke machine. First of all this gives a nice visual impression of the flow patterns, but obviously for research  purposes a detailed analysis of the flow is required.

The aim of this project is to study the feasability of a visualization system of the flow lines using an array of optic fiber light sources, creating an illuminated plane which can intersect the flow at various angles. It could also be useful to examine possible alternatives. The next phase would be the practical realization of a streamline visualization system.