The thermofluid process inside the tube of flat-plate collectors is complex because the non-uniform heating of the tube results in the formation of stably and unstably stratified layers of fluid that interact with each other. The measurement and investigation of the flow behaviour inside the collector tube is very challenging. We report on a novel application of the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique to remotely measure the velocity field inside the collector tube. The two-dimensional velocity fields were measured in the midplane of a collector tube for the Reynolds number range of 150-900 at unheated and four different heating conditions. We have presented and discussed in detail the technique implementation and the associated challenges. The results have shown that the collector heating significantly alters the structure and magnitude of the mean velocity field and influences the heat transfer to the fluid. It is observed that the collector heating causes a significant asymmetry in the mean velocity profiles over the given range of Reynolds numbers and heating conditions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.