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MRV challenge 1: Benchmarking MRV for Turbulent Flow through a U-bend
(MRV Challenge)
The Multiscale Heat & Fluid Flow Lab (MFL) participated in the 2019 international MRV Challenge to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry (MRV) for complex flow measurements. The challenge involved multiple institutions acquiring 4D flow MRI data of turbulent water flow through a standardized U-bend geometry under consistent flow conditions, each using their own MRI systems and processing pipelines. MFL acquired high-resolution velocity fields using a 3.0T Philips scanner, employing 6-point phase-contrast encoding and divergence-free smoothing tailored for wall-bounded flows. The results accurately captured both primary and secondary flow structures. Despite differences in equipment and reconstruction methods, all participants reported highly consistent results, demonstrating the robustness of MRV in resolving intricate turbulent flow features. This collaborative study was conducted jointly with Stanford University and the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), the University of Rostock (Germany), and Mayo Clinic (USA), laying the groundwork for standardizing MRV as a reliable diagnostic tool in experimental fluid mechanics.
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M. J. Benson, A. J. Banko, C. J. Elkins, D. An, S. Song, M. Bruschewski, S. Grundmann, D. D. Borup and J. K. Eaton, 2020, "The 2019 MRV challenge: turbulent flow through a U-bend". Experiments in Fluids, 61, 148
D. An, S. Song, C. Im and S. Oh, "MRV Flow Visualization of U-bend Using 3T and 7T MRI and Comparison of Results", KSVI, 2019, December. 6, Daegu, Korea
MRV challenge 2: Phase-Locked MRV for Pulsatile Turbulent Flow
(MRV Challenge)
The Multiscale Heat & Fluid Flow Lab (MFL) participated in the second international MRV Challenge to explore pulsatile turbulent flow through a structured roughness array using phase-locked magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV). Five global research teams performed synchronized 4D flow MRI measurements of a jet interacting with cube-shaped elements in a square channel, enabling direct cross-laboratory comparison under a shared experimental setup. MFL utilized a 3.0T Philips MRI scanner with 6-point phase-contrast encoding and a gating system that divided the pulsatile cycle into 20 time-resolved phases. Customized post-processing—including wall-bounded divergence-free filtering and distortion correction—ensured physical accuracy of the measured velocity fields. Despite varying hardware and protocols, all groups showed strong agreement in jet dynamics, wake behavior, and recirculation zones. This collaboration included Stanford University–USMA, University of Rostock (Germany), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA), and Seoul National University (Korea), highlighting MRV’s potential as a robust tool for benchmarking unsteady turbulent flows.
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M. J. Benson, A. J. Banko, C. J. Elkins, D. An, S. Song, M. Bruschewski, S. Grundmann, T. Bandopadhyay, L. V. Roca, B. Sutton, K. Han, W. Hwang and J. K. Eaton, 2023, "MRV challenge 2: phase locked turbulent measurements in a roughness array", Experiments in Fluids, 64, 28
D.G. An, S. Song, "Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry for a Pulsatile Cross-Jet Flow Measurements in Building Structures (2021 MRV Challenge)", KSME Fluid Engineering Division Spring Conference, 2021, Aug. 18, (Online)
D.G. An, S. Song, "2021 MRV Challenge: Hanyang University Results", 74th APSDFD, 2021, November. 22, Arizona, USA
MRV challenge 3: Velocity and Passive Scalar Comparisons in a Highly 3D Turbulent Flow
(MRV challenge)
The Multiscale Heat & Fluid Flow Lab (MFL) actively participates in global collaborative efforts to advance magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) for complex engineering flows, including its involvement in the MRV Challenge, an international initiative that benchmarks 3D flow measurements across research teams using shared experimental setups. To expand the scope of MRI-based diagnostics in engineering flows, related methods such as magnetic resonance concentration (MRC), particle (MRP), and temperature (MRT) measurements have been developed. Despite its advantages, the adoption of MRV and its variants has lagged behind laser diagnostics due to perceived complexity. To address this, the MRV Challenge was launched in 2019, enabling global research teams to benchmark measurements across shared flow cases. The most recent MRV Challenge integrates MRV with MRC or MRT and aims to promote best practices, quantify uncertainties, and advance MRI-based fluid diagnostics in engineering applications.
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