Lasers in combustion: From basic theory to practical devices

Combustion, Chemistry, and Carbon Neutrality

Combustion is a reactive oxidation process that releases energy bound in chemical compounds used as fuels─energy that is needed for power generation, transportation, heating, and industrial purposes. Because of greenhouse gas and local pollutant emissions associated with fossil fuels, combustion science and applications are challenged to abandon conventional pathways and to adapt toward the demand of future carbon neutrality. For the design of efficient, low-emission processes, understanding the details of the relevant chemical transformations is essential. Comprehensive knowledge gained from decades of fossil-fuel combustion research includes general principles for establishing and validating reaction mechanisms and process models, relying on both theory and experiments with a suite of analytic monitoring and sensing techniques. Such knowledge can be advantageously applied and extended to configure, analyze, and control new systems using different, nonfossil, potentially zero-carbon fuels. Understanding the impact of combustion and its links with chemistry needs some background. The introduction therefore combines information on exemplary cultural and technological achievements using combustion and on nature and effects of combustion emissions. Subsequently, the methodology of combustion chemistry research is described. A major part is devoted to fuels, followed by a discussion of selected combustion applications, illustrating the chemical information needed for the future.

Single-ended mid-infrared laser-absorption sensor for simultaneous in situ measurements of H2O, CO2, CO, and temperature in combustion flows

The development and demonstration of a four-color single-ended mid-infrared tunable laser-absorption sensor for simultaneous measurements of H₂O, CO₂, CO, and temperature in combustion flows is described. This sensor operates by transmitting laser light through a single optical port and measuring the backscattered radiation from within the combustion device. Scanned-wavelength-modulation spectroscopy with second-harmonic detection and first-harmonic normalization (scanned-WMS-2f/1f) was used to account for variable signal collection and nonabsorption losses in the harsh environment. Two tunable diode lasers operating near 2551 and 2482 nm were utilized to measure H₂O concentration and temperature, while an interband cascade laser near 4176 nm and a quantum cascade laser near 4865 nm were used for measuring CO₂ and CO, respectively. The lasers were modulated at either 90 or 112 kHz and scanned across the peaks of their respective absorption features at 1 kHz, leading to a measurement rate of 2 kHz. A hybrid demultiplexing strategy involving both spectral filtering and frequency-domain demodulation was used to decouple the backscattered radiation into its constituent signals. Demonstration measurements were made in the exhaust of a laboratory-scale laminar methane-air flat-flame burner at atmospheric pressure and equivalence ratios ranging from 0.7 to 1.2. A stainless steel reflective plate was placed 0.78 cm away from the sensor head within the combustion exhaust, leading to a total absorption path length of 1.56 cm. Detection limits of 1.4% H₂O, 0.6% CO₂, and 0.4% CO by mole were reported. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this work represents the first demonstration of a mid-infrared laser-absorption sensor using a single-ended architecture in combustion flows.

Fitting of calibration-free scanned-wavelength-modulation spectroscopy spectra for determination of gas properties and absorption lineshapes

The development and initial demonstration of a scanned-wavelength, first-harmonic-normalized, wavelength-modulation spectroscopy with nf detection (scanned-WMS-nf/1f) strategy for calibration-free measurements of gas conditions are presented. In this technique, the nominal wavelength of a modulated tunable diode laser (TDL) is scanned over an absorption transition to measure the corresponding scanned-WMS-nf/1f spectrum. Gas conditions are then inferred from least-squares fitting the simulated scanned-WMS-nf/1f spectrum to the measured scanned-WMS-nf/1f spectrum, in a manner that is analogous to widely used scanned-wavelength direct-absorption techniques. This scanned-WMS-nf/1f technique does not require prior knowledge of the transition linewidth for determination of gas properties. Furthermore, this technique can be used with any higher harmonic (i.e., n>1), modulation depth, and optical depth. Selection of the laser modulation index to maximize both signal strength and sensitivity to spectroscopic parameters (i.e., gas conditions), while mitigating distortion, is described. Last, this technique is demonstrated with two-color measurements in a well-characterized supersonic flow within the Stanford Expansion Tube. In this demonstration, two frequency-multiplexed telecommunication-grade TDLs near 1.4 μm were scanned at 12.5 kHz (i.e., measurement repetition rate of 25 kHz) and modulated at 637.5 and 825 kHz to determine the gas temperature, pressure, H2O mole fraction, velocity, and absorption transition lineshape. Measurements are shown to agree within uncertainty (1%-5%) of expected values.

An in situ set up for the detection of CO2 from catalytic CO oxidation by using planar laser-induced fluorescence

We report the first experiment carried out on an in situ setup, which allows for detection of CO(2) from catalytic CO oxidation close to a model catalyst under realistic reaction conditions by the means of planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) in the mid-infrared spectral range. The onset of the catalytic reaction as a function of temperature was followed by PLIF in a steady state flow reactor. After taking into account the self-absorption of CO(2), a good agreement between the detected CO(2) fluorescence signal and the CO(2) mass spectrometry signal was shown. The observed difference to previously measured onset temperatures for the catalytic ignition is discussed and the potential impact of IR-PLIF as a detection technique in catalysis is outlined.

Advanced Laser Imaging Diagnostics in Combustion

Laser-based imaging diagnostics allow the quantitative determination of scalar fields (concentrations, temperature) in combustion environments. Beyond instantaneous two-dimensional distributions, multi-dimensional imaging can provide simultaneous information about concentration of more than one species and temperature, about three-dimensional concentration and temperature distributions as well as the temporal evolution of reactions, flows and evaporation processes. Various examples in combustion environments are presented.

Application of two-photon laser-induced fluorescence for single-shot visualization of carbon monoxide in a spark ignited engine

Carbon monoxide detection through the use of two-photon laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) has been investigated for engine diagnostics applications. Two-dimensional single-shot LIF imaging of CO was achieved in a spark ignited (SI) engine. The interference from C2 and photolysis of hot CO2 was found to be negligible through the spectrally and spatially resolved measurements.

Phase-locked two-line OH planar laser-induced fluorescence thermometry in a pulsating gas turbine model combustor at atmospheric pressure

Two-line OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) thermometry was applied to a swirling CH4/air flame in a gas turbine (GT) model combustor at atmospheric pressure, which exhibited self-excited combustion instability. The potential and limitations of the method are discussed with respect to applications in GT-like flames. A major drawback of using OH as a temperature indicator is that no temperature information can be obtained from regions where OH radicals are missing or present in insufficient concentration. The resulting bias in the average temperature is addressed and quantified for one operating condition by a comparison with results from laser Raman measurements applied in the same flame. Care was taken to minimize saturation effects by decreasing the spectral laser power density to a minimum while keeping an acceptable spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. In order to correct for the influence of laser light attenuation, absorption measurements were performed on a single-shot basis and a correction procedure was applied. The accuracy was determined to 4%-7% depending on the location within the flame and on the temperature level. A GT model combustor with an optical combustion chamber is described, and phase-locked 2D temperature distributions from a pulsating flame are presented. The temperature variations during an oscillation cycle are specified, and the general flame behavior is described. Our main goals are the evaluation of the OH PLIF thermometry and the characterization of a pulsating GT-like flame.

Quantitative temperature measurements in high-pressure flames with multiline NO-LIF thermometry

An accurate temperature measurement technique for steady, high-pressure flames is investigated using excitation wavelength-scanned laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) within the nitric oxide (NO) A-X(0, 0) band, and demonstration experiments are performed in premixed methane/air flames at pressures between 1 and 60 bars with a fuel/air ratio of 0.9. Excitation spectra are simulated with a computational spectral simulation program (LIFSim) and fit to the experimental data to extract gas temperature. The LIF scan range was chosen to provide sensitivity over a wide temperature range and to minimize LIF interference from oxygen. The fitting method is robust against elastic scattering and broadband LIF interference from other species, and yields absolute, calibration-free temperature measurements. Because of loss of structure in the excitation spectra at high pressures, background signal intensities were determined using a NO addition method that simultaneously yields nascent NO concentrations in the postflame gases. In addition, fluorescence emission spectra were also analyzed to quantify the contribution of background signal and to investigate interference in the detection band-width. The NO-LIF temperatures are in good agreement with intrusive single-color pyrometry. The proposed thermometry method could provide a useful tool for studing high-pressure flame chemistry as well as provide a standard to evaluate and validate fast-imaging thermometry techniques for practical diagnostics of high-pressure combustion systems.

Application of a high-repetition-rate laser diagnostic system for single-cycle-resolved imaging in internal combustion engines

High-repetition-rate laser-induced fluorescence measurements of fuel and OH concentrations in internal combustion engines are demonstrated. Series of as many as eight fluorescence images, with a temporal resolution ranging from 10 micros to 1 ms, are acquired within one engine cycle. A multiple-laser system in combination with a multiple-CCD camera is used for cycle-resolved imaging in spark-ignition, direct-injection stratified-charge, and homogeneous-charge compression-ignition engines. The recorded data reveal unique information on cycle-to-cycle variations in fuel transport and combustion. Moreover, the imaging system in combination with a scanning mirror is used to perform instantaneous three-dimensional fuel-concentration measurements.