P. E. Bengtsson

Soot-visualization strategies using laser techniques - Laser-induced fluorescence in C 2 from laser-vaporized soot and laser-induced soot incandescence

Strategies for spatially resolved soot volume-fraction measurements have been investigated in sooting laboratory flames with known soot characteristics. Two techniques were compared: Laser-Induced Fluorescence in C2 from Laser-Vaporized Soot (LIF(C2)LVS), and Laser-Induced Incandescence of soot (LII). The LII signal is the increased temperature radiation from soot particles which have been heated to temperatures of several thousand degrees as a consequence of absorption of laser radiation. The LIF(C2)LVS technique is based on the production of C2 radicals from laser-vaporized soot which occurs for laser intensities ≥107 W/cm2. A laser wavelength is chosen such that besides vaporizizng the soot, it also excites the C2 radicals, and the subsequent C2 fluorescence signal is detected. The signals from both techniques showed good correlation with soot volume fractions in the studied flame. The dependence of the signals on experimental parameters was studied, and the influence of interfering radiation, such as background flame luminosity and fluorescence from polyaromatic hydrocarbons, on studied signals was established. The potential of the two techniques for imaging of soot volume fractions in laboratory flames was demonstrated. Advantages and disadvantages of the studied techniques are discussed.

Oxygen concentration and temperature measurements in N2–O2 mixtures using rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

The accuracy and precision of oxygen concentration and temperature measured by dual-broadband rotational Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy (CARS) were investigated in nitrogen-oxygen mixtures at atmospheric pressure and temperatures between 290 and 1410 K. The relative standard deviation of temperatures evaluated from pure oxygen rotational CARS spectra was found to be around 5%, and the mean temperature was the same as for nitrogen CARS spectra, except for temperatures above 1000 K, where the temperature was 120 K below the correct value. The in situ calibrated oxygen concentrations were within 10% of the correct value, with a standard deviation of around 1.2% for the mixtures of 12 and 20% oxygen in nitrogen. For the lowest oxygen concentrations considered in this study (2 and 4%), the systematic errors in the evaluated concentrations were very large, and the standard deviation of repeated single-shot measurements was above 2%. However, employing weighting in the spectral fitting routine reduced the errors in the concentration and the single-shot standard deviation was lowered to 0.5%. Finally, it was shown that spectral interference (from oxygen) in a rotational CARS spectrum of nitrogen generally had little impact on the temperature evaluated from fitting the spectra to theoretical nitrogen spectra.

Simultaneous vibrational and pure rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy for temperature and multispecies concentration measurements demonstrated in sooting flames

The potential of measuring temperature and multiple species concentrations (N2, O2, CO) by use of combined vibrational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and pure rotational CARS has been investigated. This was achieved with only one Nd:YAG laser and one dye laser together with a single spectrograph and CCD camera. From measurements in premixed sooting C2H4-air flames it was possible to evaluate temperatures from both vibrational CARS and rotational CARS spectra, O2 concentration from the rotational CARS spectra, and CO concentration from the vibrational CARS spectra. Quantitative results from premixed sooting C2H4-air flames are presented, and the uncertainties in the results as well as the possibility of extending the combined CARS technique for probing of additional species are discussed.

Is rotational CARS an alternative to vibrational CARS for thermometry

Recent developments in rotational CARS thermometry and critical issues when comparing vibrational and rotational CARS thermometry are described. In particular, the development of dual broadband rotational CARS and the noise characteristics of this approach are emphasized. The difficulty with unambiguous temperature determination in vibrational CARS with unknown parameters, in particular the nonresonant background susceptibility, and the lower sensitivity of rotational CARS thermometry at flame temperatures are also discussed.

Knock in spark-ignition engines : End-gas temperature measurements using rotational CARS and detailed kinetic calculations of the autoignition process

Cycle-resolved end-gas temperatures were measured using dual-broadband rotational CARS in a single-cylinder spark-ignition engine. Simultaneous cylinder pressure measurements were used as an indicator for knock and as input data to numerical calculations. The chemical processes in the end-gas have been analysed with a detailed kinetic mechanism for mixtures of iso-octane and n-heptane at different Research Octane Numbers (RONS). The end-gas is modelled as a homogeneous reactor that is compressed or expanded by the piston movement and the flame propagation in the cylinder. The calculated temperatures are in agreement with the temperatures evaluated from CARS measurements. It is found that calculations with different RONS of the fuel lead to different levels of radical concentrations in the end-gas. The apperance of the first stage of the autoignition process is marginally influenced by the RON, while the ignition delay of the second stage is increased with increasing RON.

Carbon atom fluorescence and C2 emission detected in fuel-rich flames using a UV laser

Laser-induced fluorescence from carbon atoms, excited at the two-photon resonances around 280 nm, has been detected in fuel-rich hydrocarbon flames together with Swan band emission from the C2 radical, which was non-resonantly excited at the same wavelengths. The emission from the C atom and from the C2 molecule exhibited several similarities, indicating a possible common photo-chemical origin.

Flame propagation visualization in a spark-ignition engine using laser-induced fluorescence of cool-flame species

The flame propagation in a spark-ignition engine has been studied using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of species formed during the first ignition stage of hydrocarbon combustion. The detected two-dimensional LIF images showed the distribution of unburned regions. For the excitation, two Nd:YAG lasers operating at 355 nm were used for two consecutive measurements within the same engine cycle with adjustable time separation between the pulses. Two ICCD cameras that were synchronized to each of the laser pulses recorded pairs of fluorescence images, i.e. the movement of the flame front could be tracked. It is well known that formaldehyde is excited using a wavelength of 355 nm and a spectral signature of this species was also identified in engine LIF spectra. Programme routines were developed and used for evaluation of the flame propagation velocity from the fluorescence images. This paper presents the potential and the characteristics of the experimental technique as well as the evaluation procedure. The measurements of cool-flame intermediates have also been compared with measurements of fuel-tracer as an indicator of unburned fuel–air mixture. A good agreement between position and shape of the signal areas was obtained at crank angles where both fluorescence signal from cool-flame species excited at 355 nm and added 3-pentanone excited at 266 nm could be detected.

Non-intrusive temperature and oxygen concentration measurements in a catalytic combustor using : Rotational coherent anti-stokes raman spectroscopy

Rotational CARS (Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy) was used to measure temperature and relative oxygen concentrations in the exhaust gas of a catalytic combustor. This laser technique has the general advantages of such techniques, i.e. possibility of performing in-situ measurements with high spatial and temporal resolution, and non-intrusiveness. Profiles of temperature and oxygen concentrations are presented for a full-load condition, and the measured temperatures are compared with calculated values. Of great importance for the results is the accuracy of the technique, and a sensitivity analysis is performed to test the temperature and oxygen concentration dependence on uncertainties in experimental parameters. It was shown that the accuracy of temperature and oxygen concentration could be improved by fitting the nonresonant susceptibility in the evaluation procedure. The measurements were performed as a project in the European gas turbine program AGATA with the aim to develop a catalytic combustor with ceramic structural components and producing low emissions of pollutants. (Less)