Simultaneous imaging of temperature and mole fraction using acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence

Imaging of concentration with acetone PLIF has become popular in mixing investigations. More recently, studies of the temperature dependences of acetone fluorescence have enabled quantitative imaging of temperature using single- or dual-wavelength excitation strategies. We present here the first demonstration of simultaneous imaging of temperature and mole fraction with acetone PLIF. Laser excitation is at 248 and 308 nm; the resulting fluorescence images are captured by an interline transfer CCD camera capable of acquiring two frames with a separation in time of as little as 500 ns. In addition to adding temperature imaging capability, this dual-wavelength approach enables mole fraction to be accurately measured in non-isothermal flows. Tests in a heated turbulent jet demonstrate the ability to record instantaneous mole fraction and temperature structure. The expected correspondence of the temperature and concentration fields is observed, and mean values of these quantities derived from image averaging show the expected radial and centerline profiles as the jet becomes fully developed. Received: 13 January 1999/Accepted 10 February 2000     

Direct measurement of mixture fraction in reacting flow using Rayleigh scattering

The mixture fraction variable, , is very useful in describing reaction zone structure in nonpremixed flames. Extinction limits and turbulent mixing are often described as a function of this variable. Experimental evaluation of is critical for improving our understanding of the influence of turbulent mixing on the chemistry process. Heretofore, the evaluation of mixture fraction in combusting flow required multiple simultaneous concentration measurements. In this paper we present a fuel designed to permit measurements of mixture fraction by Rayleigh scattering technique only. A Rayleigh intensity/mixture fraction correspondence has been obtained experimentally in a laminar coflow flame. The influence of strain rate and differential diffusion effects have been investigated using laminar counterflow diffusion flame and shifting equilibrium chemistry models. The results obtained from comparisons between experiments and these models are very encouraging and suggest that the Rayleigh/mixture fraction correspondence established is valid under both the turbulent mixing and laminar strained flamelet combustion regimes.     

Measurements of vaporized and liquid fuel concentration fields in a burning spray jet of acetone using planar laser induced fluorescence

Planar LIF of acetone has been performed in the near development field of a burning spray jet. The main difficulty of such investigations comes from the large range of signal levels provided by the vapor and the size dispersed spray, which cannot be covered by the camera dynamics. The key point of the present work lies in a strong compression of the fluorescence signal dynamics as the UV laser radiation is strongly absorbed by the liquid phase. Preliminary experiments were made in homogeneous vapor and with calibrated drops to quantify the acetone fluorescence signals. Analysis of the histograms of signal level in the spray shows that a cut-off signal level can be used to reject the contribution of the liquid phase. The single shot fluorescence profiles have been processed to restore the fields of fluctuating and mean concentration of acetone vapor in the spray. The liquid concentration field was obtained by extracting the individual drops data from the single shot fluorescence images with a reduced gain of the camera. A statistical correction accounting for the discrete extinctions of the laser by the drops has been used. Analysis of the results shows the influence of the input atomization parameters on the structures of the condensed and vaporized concentration fields.     

Error estimates for Rayleigh scattering density and temperature measurements in premixed flames

Rayleigh scattering has become an accepted technique for the determination of total number density during the combustion process. The interpretation of the ratio of total Rayleigh scattering signal as a ratio of densities or temperatures is hampered by the changing composition through a flame, since the average Rayleigh scattering cross-section depends on the gas composition. Typical correction factors as a function of degree of reaction, fuel and equivalence ratio were calculated. The fuels considered were H₂, CH₄, C₂H₄, C₂H₆ and C₃H₈. Factors as low as 0.7 and 0.56 were found for the heaviest hydrocarbon fuel at large equivalence ratio for interpreting the Rayleigh scattering intensity as gas density and inverse temperature, respectively. This is primarily due to the presence of CO and H₂ as intermediates. As CO and H₂ are subsequently oxidized to CO₂ and H₂O, these factors approach 1.0. Conversely, the worst case, when using H₂ as a fuel, occurs in the post flame zone. However, the correction factors for H₂ are near 1.0 and the errors involved will, in general, remain within the expected experimental accuracy of a typical Rayleigh scattering system. Linear correlations of correction factors with equivalene ratio and with the product of equivalence ratio and fuel molecular weight were found and presented. The interpretation of Rayleigh scattering as temperature was found to have larger errors than the interpretation as density. Corrections for changes in gas composition were applied to Rayleigh scattering temperature measurements in the post flame region of CH₄ and C₃H₈ flames with equivalence ratios of 0.75 and 1.0. The corrected temperatures were in excellent agreement with thermocouple measurements.List of symbols A ₁, A ₂ correlation coefficients - B ₁, B ₂ correlation coefficients - C ₁, C ₂ correlation coefficients - D ₁, D ₂ correlation coefficients - C calibration constant for Rayleigh scattering optics - H total enthalpy - Î I _R /I _RO - I _i incident laser intensity - I _R Rayleigh scattering intensity - I _R0 Rayleigh scattering intensity at reference condition - N total number density of gas - N ₀ total number density of gas at reference condition - n _i index of refraction of species i - – T/T _O - T temperature - T _a adiabatic flame temperature - T ₀ reference temperature - t time - W/W ₀ - W mean molecular weight - W ₀ mean molecular weight at reference condition - W _ij rate of production of species i by reaction j - X _i mole fraction of species i - degree of reaction (T – T ₀)/(T _a – T ₀) - laser wavelength - ₀ Loschmidt number - /₀ - density - ₀ density at reference condition - dimensionless mean Rayleigh scattering cross-section - _Ri Rayleigh scattering cross-section of species i - scattering angle measured from the electromagnetic field vector - equivalence ratio     

Dynamic measurement of temperature, velocity, and density in hot jets using Rayleigh scattering

A molecular Rayleigh scattering technique is utilized to measure gas temperature, velocity, and density in unseeded gas flows at sampling rates up to 10 kHz, providing fluctuation information up to 5 kHz based on the Nyquist theorem. A high-power continuous-wave laser beam is focused at a point in an air flow field and Rayleigh scattered light is collected and fiber-optically transmitted to a Fabry–Perot interferometer for spectral analysis. Photomultiplier tubes operated in the photon counting mode allow high-frequency sampling of the total signal level and the circular interference pattern to provide dynamic density, temperature, and velocity measurements. Mean and root mean square velocity, temperature, and density, as well as power spectral density calculations, are presented for measurements in a hydrogen-combustor heated jet facility with a 50.8-mm diameter nozzle at NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field. The Rayleigh measurements are compared with particle image velocimetry data and computational fluid dynamics predictions. This technique is aimed at aeronautics research related to identifying noise sources in free jets, as well as applications in supersonic and hypersonic flows where measurement of flow properties, including mass flux, is required in the presence of shocks and ionization occurrence.     

Whole field measurement of temperature in water using two-color laser induced fluorescence

 A technique is described that measures the instantaneous three-dimensional temperature distribution in water using two-color laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Two fluorescent dyes, Rhodamine B and Rhodamine 110, are used as temperature indicators. A laser light sheet scanned across the entire measurement volume excites the fluorescent dye, and an optical system involving a color beam splitter gives the intensity distribution of the individual fluorescent dyes on two separate monochrome CCD cameras. The ratio of these fluorescence intensities at each point of the image is calibrated against the temperature to eliminate the effect of the fluctuation of illuminating light intensity. A stable thermally stratified layer was measured by this system to evaluate the total accuracy of the measurement system. The random error of the measurement was ±1.4 K with 95% confidence. Measurements of thermal convection over a heated horizontal surface show temperature iso-surfaces having typical structures such as plumes, ridges and thermals. Received: 1 October 1997/Accepted: 23 March 1998     

Composition measurement of bicomponent droplets using laser-induced fluorescence of acetone

Commercial fuels are complex mixtures, the evaporation of which remains particularly difficult to model. Experimental characterization of the differential vaporization of the components is a problem that is seldom addressed. In this paper, the evaporation of binary droplets made of ethyl-alcohol and acetone is investigated using a technique of measurement of the droplet composition developed in purpose. This technique exploits the laser induced fluorescence of acetone which acts as a fluorescent tracer as well as the more volatile component of the fuel associated with an accurate measurement of the droplet diameter by forward scattering interferometry. A model of the fluorescence intensity of the binary mixture, taking into account the absorption of the acetone molecules, is proposed and validated. The sensitivity of the technique is discussed. Finally, the reliability of the technique is demonstrated on binary combusting droplets in linear stream.     

In-cylinder fuel distribution in a port-injected model engine using Rayleigh scattering

The spatial and temporal variation of the fuel concentration (air/fuel ratio) in a model engine was quantified by laser Rayleigh scattering. Fuel was simulated by gaseous Freon-12 injected at various timings and quantities into the intake port. The results showed that the fuel concentration in the engine cylinder was strongly dependent on the injection timing and duration and that the Rayleigh system was able to identify spatial variations of the order of one air/fuel ratio at realistic mixture strengths.     

Detailed measurements of equivalence ratio modulations in premixed flames using laser Rayleigh scattering and absorption spectroscopy

Equivalence ratio non-uniformities may give rise to some of the instabilities observed in modern lean premixed combustion systems. The present work intends to investigate the influence of equivalence ratio perturbations on the dynamics of premixed flames. A burner equipped with a secondary injection system is used to generate equivalence ratio perturbations which are convected by the flow and impinge on a conical flame. Two laser-diagnostics, based on Rayleigh scattering and hydrocarbon infrared absorption, respectively, are employed to give insight into the spatial and temporal evolution of the mixture composition field. Rayleigh scattering images also reveal the flame front dynamics providing an indication on the response of a weakly turbulent flame subject to mixture composition inhomogeneities. Laser light absorption provides a time resolved signal which is used to estimate the equivalence ratio perturbation level. A theoretical model based on the G-equation is used to interpret the experimental data and compare the relative effects of velocity and equivalence ratio perturbations.     

Time-average measurement of velocity, density, temperature, and turbulence velocity fluctuations using Rayleigh and Mie scattering

Measurement of time-averaged velocity, density, temperature, and turbulence velocity fluctuations in sparsely seeded gas flows using a non-intrusive, point-wise technique based on Rayleigh and Mie scattering is discussed. A Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is used to spectrally resolve laser light scattered by molecules and particulates in gas flows. The spectral content of the scattered light provides information about velocity, density, and temperature of the gas. A CCD camera is used to record images of the fringes formed by scattered light passing through the interferometer. Models of the spectral components are used in a least squares fitting routine to estimate the parameters from fringe images. Flow measurements are presented for subsonic and supersonic jet flows. The application range for this technique is mostly for high velocity situations (>25 m/s). Velocity, density, temperature, and turbulence velocity fluctuations were determined with accuracies within 5 m/s, 4%, 2%, and 5 m/s, respectively.     

Instantaneous measurement of two-dimensional temperature distributions by means of two-color planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF)

We present a noninvasive technique to measure instantaneously two-dimensional temperature distributions in liquid flows by means of two-color planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) of rhodamine B. This technique allows absolute temperature measurements by determining the relative intensities on two adequate spectral bands of the same dye and a reference measurement at a known temperature. Demonstration measurements on a heated turbulent jet injected into a coflow at ambient temperature are presented. The mean temperature field is investigated, as well as the temperature fluctuations. The results are compared to those obtained by means of a usual single-color PLIF technique.     

High-resolution imaging of turbulence structures in jet flames and non-reacting jets with laser Rayleigh scattering

A comparative study of the length scales and morphology of dissipation fields in turbulent jet flames and non-reacting jets provides a quantitative analysis of the effects of heat release on the fine-scale structure of turbulent mixing. Planar laser Rayleigh scattering is used for highly resolved measurements of the thermal and scalar dissipation in the near fields of CH₄/H₂/N₂ jet flames (Re _d  = 15,200 and 22,800) and non-reacting propane jets (Re _d  = 7,200–21,700), respectively. Heat release increases the dissipation cutoff length scales in the reaction zone of the flames such that they are significantly larger than the cutoff scales of non-reacting jets with comparable jet exit Reynolds numbers. Fine-scale anisotropy is enhanced in the reaction zone. At x/d = 10, the peaks of the dissipation angle PDFs in the Re _d  = 15,200 and 22,800 jet flames exceed those of non-reacting jets with corresponding jet exit Reynolds numbers by factors of 2.3 and 1.8, respectively. Heat release significantly reduces the dissipation layer curvature in the reaction zone and in the low-temperature periphery of the jet flames. These results suggest that the reaction zone shields the outer regions of the jet flame from the highly turbulent flow closer to the jet axis.     

Accuracy limits for planar measurements of flow field velocity, temperature and pressure using Filtered Rayleigh Scattering

 We present experimental results using Filtered Rayleigh Scattering to make planar measurements of velocity, temperature and pressure in ambient air and in a Mach 2 free jet. The ambient air measurements are used to identify and calibrate experimental uncertainties. The Mach 2 measurements demonstrate the usefulness of the technique for making accurate planar measurements in a high speed flow. The measured values for velocity, temperature and pressure in the Mach 2 jet ranged, through a shock system, from 205 to 235 m/s, 150 to 170 K and 700 to 1000 torr, with estimated uncertainties of ±5.4 m/s, ±3.2 K and ±38 torr (±2 to 3%, ±2% and ±4–5%, respectively). Received: 10 December 1996/Accepted: 14 July 1997     

Measurement of the conditioned turbulence and temperature field of a premixed Bunsen burner by planar laser Rayleigh scattering and stereo particle image velocimetry

The turbulence and temperature field of Bunsen-type turbulent lean methane/air flames has been investigated using planar laser Rayleigh scattering (PLRS) and stereo particle image velocimetry (stereo PIV). Temporally averaged reaction progress variable plots have been computed from PLRS measurements in order to provide a basis with regards to the verification of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. Turbulence was characterised by stereo PIV in one plane for all three velocity components. Averaged velocity fields have been calculated, as well as Reynolds-decomposed fluctuation vector fields. Conditioned root mean square (RMS) values of the turbulent fluctuations in terms of unburnt and burnt gas could be determined by making use of the information gained from a threshold setting procedure in the PIV raw images. Furthermore, several length scales were measured indirectly from PIV vector plots. In this context, all integral length scales being accessible with stereo PIV were computed separately for the burnt and unburnt regions and were compared to each other. It could be observed that all integral length scales increased in the burnt zone. Additionally, the conditioned Taylor and Kolmogorov lengths have been extracted from the PIV field data, derived either from the zero-radius curvature of the correlation function or from common turbulence theory relations.     

Vibrational temperature measurements in a shock layer using laser induced predissociation fluorescence

Single shot spatially and spectrally resolved laser induced predissociation fluorescence measurements in a shock layer around a cylinder in a pulsed supersonic free stream are presented. Fluoresence signals were produced using the tuned output of an argon fluoride excimer laser to excite a mixture of rovibrational transitions in molecular oxygen. The signals produced along a line inside the shock layer were focussed onto a two dimensional detector coupled to a spectrometer, thus allowing spectral and spatial resolution of the fluoresence. In this way, it was possible to detect two fluoresence signals from two different transitions simultaneously, allowing the determination of vibrational temperatures without the need for calibration. To minimize problems associated with low signal to noise ratios, background subtraction and spatial averaging was required.This article was processed using Springer-Verlag T_EX Shock Waves macro package 1.0 and the AMS fonts, developed by the American Mathematical Society.     

Measurements of the vaporization dynamics in the development zone of a burning spray by planar laser induced fluorescence and Raman scattering

A linear measurement technique based on simultaneous planar imaging of laser induced dye fluorescence and Raman scattering in the liquid phase is reported. Calibrations in a stream of monosized droplets doped with weak concentrations of rhodamin show that the intensities on the droplet images are proportional to the actual droplet volume for Raman scattering and to the initial volume of the droplet for fluorescence, as the mass of dissolved dye does not vaporize. Thus, the mass fraction of liquid fuel that has vaporized before the probing event can be derived from these simultaneous measurements. Experiments are performed in the early development of a burning spray to derive cumulative information on the vaporization dynamics in terms of mass fraction or evaporation constant. Size distribution from conjoined phase-Doppler measurements are also used to derive the rate of droplet consumption along the axis of the burning spray.     

Quantitative temperature imaging in gas-phase turbulent thermal convection by laser-induced fluorescence of acetone

In this paper, an acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique for nonintrusive temperature imaging is demonstrated in gas-phase (Pr = 0.72) turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection at Rayleigh number Ra = 1.3᎒⁵. The PLIF technique provides quantitative spatially correlated temperature data without the flow intrusion or time lag associated with physical probes, and without the significant path averaging that plagues most optical heat-transfer diagnostic tools, such as the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, thus making PLIF an attractive choice for quantitative thermal imaging in easily perturbed, complex three-dimensional flow fields. The "instantaneous" (20-ns integration time) thermal images presented have a spatial resolution of 176쐀아 µm and a single-pulse temperature measurement precision of - 2.5 K, or 2.5% of the total temperature difference. These images represent a two-dimensional slice through a complex three-dimensional flow, allowing for thermal structure of the turbulence to be quantified. Statistics such as the horizontally averaged temperature profile, root-mean square (rms) temperature fluctuation, two-point spatial correlations, and conditionally averaged plume structures are computed from an ensemble of 100 temperature images. The profiles of the mean temperature and rms temperature fluctuation are in good agreement with previously published data, and the results obtained from the two-point spatial correlations and conditionally averaged temperature fields show the importance of large-scale coherent structures in this turbulent flow.     

Conditional sampling of velocity and scalars in turbulent flames using simultaneous LDV-Raman scattering

The laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) measures the velocity distribution of particles which is often an acceptable representation of the distribution of gas velocities. However, in turbulent two stream mixing flows, the particle velocity distribution will differ from the gas velocity distribution when the particle densities in the two streams are unequal. This bias is explored in a reacting and nonreacting turbulent jet which is surrounded by coflowing air. By adding seed particles to only the coflow air and then to only the jet fluid, the limits of this bias are established. Additional measurements with an LDV triggered laser Raman scattering system demonstrate that the bias in the LDV sampling is propagated to the Raman measurements. An analytical equation is presented which will generate unbiased velocity and scalar distributions from measurements obtained from seeding only one stream at a time.     

Non-invasive measurement of void fraction and liquid temperature in microchannel flow boiling

Past thermometry research for two-phase microfluidic systems made much progress regarding wall temperature distributions, yet the direct measurement of fluid temperature has received little attention. This paper uses a non-invasive two-dye/two-color fluorescent technique to capture fluid temperature along with local liquid fraction in a two-phase microflow generated by injecting air into a heated microchannel. The fluorescent emission of Rhodamine 110 and Rhodamine B, measured with photodiodes, is used to obtain local liquid temperature (±3°C) and void fraction (±2% full-scale) over a temperature range from 45 to 100°C. Arrays of these sensors can significantly expand the set of measurable flow parameters to include bubble/slug frequency, size, velocity, and growth rates in addition to mapping the local liquid temperature and void fraction.     

Simultaneous temperature and 2D velocity measurements in a turbulent heated jet using combined laser-induced fluorescence and LDA

 This paper presents an efficient technique for the characterization of thermal transport properties in turbulent flows. The method is based on the temperature dependence of fluorescence, induced by laser radiation, of an organic dye. The laser-induced fluorescence technique is combined with 2D laser Doppler anemometry, in order to measure in the same sample volume simultaneously and instantaneously the temperature and velocity. The technique is demonstrated on a turbulent heated round jet: the mean and fluctuating dynamic and thermal fields are investigated, and the temperature-velocity cross-correlations are determined in order to characterize the turbulent diffusivity and the turbulent Prandtl number. Received: 30 October 1997/Accepted: 14 July 1998