Unseeded velocity measurement by ozone tagging velocimetry

Velocity Measurements in Channel Gas Flows in the Slip Regime by means of Molecular Tagging Velocimetry

Direct measurements of the slip velocity in rarefied gas flows produced by local thermodynamic non-equilibrium at the wall represent crucial information for the validation of existing theoretical and numerical models. In this work, molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) by direct phosphorescence is applied to argon and helium flows at low pressures in a 1-mm deep channel. MTV has provided accurate measurements of the molecular displacement of the gas at average pressures of the order of 1 kPa. To the best of our knowledge, this work reports the very first flow visualizations of a gas in a confined domain and in the slip flow regime, with Knudsen numbers up to 0.014. MTV is cross-validated with mass flowrate measurements by the constant volume technique. The two diagnostic methods are applied simultaneously, and the measurements in terms of average velocity at the test section are in good agreement. Moreover, preliminary results of the slip velocity at the wall are computed from the MTV data by means of a reconstruction method.

A Review of Femtosecond Laser-Induced Emission Techniques for Combustion and Flow Field Diagnostics

The applications of femtosecond lasers to the diagnostics of combustion and flow field have recently attracted increasing interest. Many novel spectroscopic methods have been developed in obtaining non-intrusive measurements of temperature, velocity, and species concentrations with unprecedented possibilities. In this paper, several applications of femtosecond-laser-based incoherent techniques in the field of combustion diagnostics were reviewed, including two-photon femtosecond laser-induced fluorescence (fs-TPLIF), femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (fs-LIBS), filament-induced nonlinear spectroscopy (FINS), femtosecond laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (FLIPS), femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging velocimetry (FLEET), femtosecond laser-induced cyano chemiluminescence (FLICC), and filamentary anemometry using femtosecond laser-extended electric discharge (FALED). Furthermore, prospects of the femtosecond-laser-based combustion diagnostic techniques in the future were analyzed and discussed to provide a reference for the relevant researchers.

Femtosecond laser tagging in R134a with trace quantities of air

Femtosecond laser tagging is demonstrated for the first time in R134a (1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane) gas, and in mixtures of R134a with small quantities of air. A systematic study of this tagging method is explored through the adjustment of gas pressure, mixture ratio and laser properties. It is found that the signal strength and lifetime are greatest at low pressures for excitation at both the 400 nm and 800 nm laser wavelengths. The relative intensities of two spectral peaks in the near-UV emission change as a function of gas pressure and can potentially be used for local pressure measurements. Single shot precision in pure R134a and R134a with 5% air is demonstrated in quiescent gas and at the exit of a subsonic pipe flow. One standard deviation (68%) of the uncertainty lies within 5 m/s of the mean velocity in a low pressure quiescent flow using a delay time of 3μs, and 18 m/s in a 230 m/s flow using a delay of 5 μs. The parameter space of these results are chosen to mimic conditions used in the NASA Langley Research Center's Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. The precision and signal lifetime demonstrate the feasibility of using this technique for measuring flowfields that induce airfoil flutter.

Applicability of Femtosecond Laser Electronic Excitation Tagging in Combustion Flow Field Velocity Measurements

Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) is a molecular tagging velocimetry technique that can be applied in combustion flow fields, although detailed studies of its application in combustion are still needed. We report the applicability of FLEET in premixed CH₄-air flames. We found that FLEET can be applied in all of the combustion areas (e.g., the unburned region, the burned region and the reaction zone). The FLEET signal in the unburned region is significantly higher than that in the burned region. This technique is suitable for both lean and rich CH₄-air combustion flow fields and its performance in lean flames is better than that in rich flames.

Development of N2O-MTV for low-speed flow and in-situ deployment to an integral effect test facility

A molecular tagging velocity (MTV) technique is developed to non-intrusively measure velocity in an integral effect test (IET) facility simulating a high temperature helium-cooled nuclear reactor in accident scenarios. In these scenarios, the velocities are expected to be low, on the order of 1 m/s or less, which forces special requirements on the MTV tracer selection. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is identified as a suitable seed gas to generate NO tracers capable of probing the flow over a large range of pressure, temperature, and flow velocity. The performance of N₂O-MTV is assessed in the laboratory at temperature and pressure ranging from 295 to 781 K and 1 to 3 atm. MTV signal improves with a temperature increase, but decreases with a pressure increase. Velocity precision down to 0.004 m/s is achieved with a probe time of 40 ms at ambient pressure and temperature. Measurement precision is limited by tracer diffusion, and absorption of the tag laser beam by the seed gas. Processing by cross-correlation of single shot images with high signal-to-noise ratio reference images improves the precision by about 10% compared to traditional single shot image correlations. The instrument is then deployed to the IET facility. Challenges associated with heat, vibrations, safety, beam delivery, and imaging are addressed in order to successfully operate this sensitive instrument in-situ. Data are presented for an isothermal depressurized conduction cool-down. Velocity profiles from MTV reveal a complex flow transient driven by buoyancy, diffusion, and instability taking place over short (<1 s) and long (>30 min) time-scales at sub-meter per second speed. The precision of the in-situ results is estimated at 0.027, 0.0095, and 0.006 m/s for a probe time of 5, 15, and 35 ms, respectively.

FLEET velocimetry for combustion and flow diagnostics

We report the use of femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) for velocimetry at a 100-kHz imaging rate. Sequential, single-shot, quantitative velocity profiles of an underexpanded supersonic nitrogen jet were captured at a 100-kHz rate. The signal and lifetime characteristics of the FLEET emission were investigated in a methane flame above a Hencken burner at varying equivalence ratios, and room temperature gas mixtures involving air, methane, and nitrogen. In the post-flame region of the Hencken burner, the emission lifetime was measured as two orders of magnitude lower than lab air conditions. Increasing the equivalence ratio above 1.1 leads to a change in behavior, with a doubled lifetime. By measuring the emission in a cold methane flow, a short-lived signal was measured that decayed after the first microsecond. As a proof of concept for velocimetry in a reacting environment, the exhaust of a pulsed detonator was measured by FLEET. Quantitative velocity information was obtained that corresponded to a maximum centerline velocity of 1800 m/s for the detonation wave. Extension of FLEET to larger scale, complex flow environments is now a viable option.

Quantitative Imaging of Ozone Vapor Using Photofragmentation Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF)

In the present work, the spectral properties of gaseous ozone (O₃) have been investigated aiming to perform quantitative concentration imaging of ozone by using a single laser pulse at 248 nm from a KrF excimer laser. The O₃ molecule is first photodissociated by the laser pulse into two fragments, O and O₂. Then the same laser pulse electronically excites the O₂ fragment, which is vibrationally hot, whereupon fluorescence is emitted. The fluorescence intensity is found to be proportional to the concentration of ozone. Both emission and absorption characteristics have been investigated, as well as how the laser fluence affects the fluorescence signal. Quantitative ozone imaging data have been achieved based on calibration measurements in known mixtures of O₃. In addition, a simultaneous study of the emission intensity captured by an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera and a spectrograph has been performed. The results show that any signal contribution not stemming from ozone is negligible compared to the strong fluorescence induced by the O₂ fragment, thus proving interference-free ozone imaging. The single-shot detection limit has been estimated to ∼400 ppm. The authors believe that the presented technique offers a valuable tool applicable in various research fields, such as plasma sterilization, water and soil remediation, and plasma-assisted combustion.

Krypton tagging velocimetry of an underexpanded jet

In this work, we present the excitation/emission strategy, experimental setup, and results of an implementation of krypton tagging velocimetry (KTV). KTV is performed as follows: (i) seed a base flow with krypton; (ii) photosynthesize metastable krypton atoms with a frequency-doubled dye laser to form the tagged tracer; (iii) record the translation of the tagged metastable krypton by imaging the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) that is produced with an additional dye laser. The principle strength of KTV, relative to other tagging velocimetry techniques, is the use of a chemically inert tracer. KTV results are presented for an underexpanded jet of three mixtures of varying Kr/N₂ concentration. It is demonstrated that KTV can be used in gas mixtures of relatively low krypton mole fraction (0.5% Kr/99.5% N₂), and the KTV data from that experiment are found to be in good agreement with an empirical fit found in the literature. We find that KTV is useful to perform instantaneous velocity measurements with metastable krypton as a chemically inert, dilute, long-lifetime tracer in gas-phase flows.

Vibrationally excited hydroxyl tagging velocimetry

A new molecular-based velocity method is developed for high-temperature flame gases based on the hydroxyl tagging velocimetry (HTV) technique. In vibrationally excited HTV (VE-HTV), two photons from a KrF laser (248 nm) dissociate H₂O into a tag line of vibrationally excited OH (v=1). The excited state OH tag is selectively detected in a background of naturally occurring ground state OH (v=0). In atmospheric pressure laboratory burners, the OH (v=1) tag persists for 5-10 μs, allowing single-shot velocity measurements along a 2 cm line under lean, stoichiometric, and rich flame conditions with temperatures reaching 2300 K. Mean velocity measurements are demonstrated in a lean (ϕ=0.78) premixed H₂/air turbulent flame (Re=26,550) laboratory flame. The VE-HTV method is best suited to measure high-speed velocities in hot combustion environments in the presence of background OH.

Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging for quantitative velocity imaging in air

Time-accurate velocity measurements in unseeded air are made by tagging nitrogen with a femtosecond-duration laser pulse and monitoring the displacement of the molecules with a time-delayed, fast-gated camera. Centimeter-long lines are written through the focal region of a ∼1 mJ, 810 nm laser and are produced by nonlinear excitation and dissociation of nitrogen. Negligible heating is associated with this interaction. The emission arises from recombining nitrogen atoms and lasts for tens of microseconds in natural air. It falls into the 560 to 660 nm spectral region and consists of multiple spectral lines associated with first positive nitrogen transitions. The feasibility of this concept is demonstrated with lines written across a free jet, yielding instantaneous and averaged velocity profiles. The use of high-intensity femtosecond pulses for flow tagging allows the accurate determination of velocity profiles with a single laser system and camera.

Two-component molecular tagging velocimetry utilizing NO fluorescence lifetime and NO2 photodissociation techniques in an underexpanded jet flowfield

We report the application of molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) toward two-component velocimetry as demonstrated in an underexpanded free jet flowfield. Two variants of the MTV technique are presented: 1) electronic excitation of seeded nitric oxide (NO) with gated fluorescence imaging (fluorescence lifetime) and 2) photodissociation of seeded NO2 followed by NO fluorescence imaging (NO2 photodissociation). The seeded NO fluorescence lifetime technique is advantageous in low-quenching, high-velocity flowfields, while the photodissociation technique is useful in high-quenching environments, and either high- or low-velocity flowfields due to long lifetime of the NO photoproduct. Both techniques are viable for single-shot measurements, with determined root mean squared results for streamwise and radial velocities of approximately 5%. This study represents the first known application of MTV utilizing either the fluorescence lifetime or the photodissociation technique toward two-component velocity mapping in a gaseous flowfield. Methods for increasing the spatial resolution to be comparable to particle-based tracking techniques are discussed.

Hydroxyl tagging velocimetry in a supersonic flow over a cavity

Hydroxyl tagging velocimetry (HTV) measurements of velocity were made in a Mach 2 (M 2) flow with a wall cavity. In the HTV method, ArF excimer laser (193 nm) beams pass through a humid gas and dissociate H2O into H + OH to form a tagging grid of OH molecules. In this study, a 7 x 7 grid of hydroxyl (OH) molecules is tracked by planar laser-induced fluorescence. The grid motion over a fixed time delay yields about 50 velocity vectors of the two-dimensional flow in the plane of the laser sheets. Velocity precision is limited by the error in finding the crossing location of the OH lines written by the excimer tag laser. With a signal-to-noise ratio of about 10 for the OH lines, the determination of the crossing location is expected to be accurate within +/- 0.1 pixels. Velocity precision within the freestream, where the turbulence is low, is consistent with this error. Instantaneous, single-shot measurements of two-dimensional flow patterns were made in the nonreacting M 2 flow with a wall cavity under low- and high-pressure conditions. The single-shot profiles were analyzed to yield mean and rms velocity profiles in the M 2 nonreacting flow.

Nitric oxide flow tagging in unseeded air

A scheme for molecular tagging velocimetry is presented that can be used in air flows without any kind of seeding. The method is based on the local and instantaneous creation of nitric oxide (NO) molecules from N(2) and O(2) in the waist region of a focused ArF excimer laser beam. This NO distribution is advected by the flow and can be visualized any time later by laser-induced fluorescence in the gamma bands. The creation of NO is confirmed by use of an excitation spectrum. Two examples of the application of the new scheme for air-flow velocimetry are given in which single laser pulses are used for creation and visualization of NO.

Flame flow tagging velocimetry with 193-nm H2O photodissociation

In a new nonintrusive, instantaneous flow tagging method called hydroxyl tagging velocimetry (HTV), a molecular grid of hydroxyl (OH) radicals is written into a flame and the displaced grid is imaged at a later time to give the flame's velocity profile. Single-photon photodissociation of vibrationally excited H(2)O, when a 193-nm ArF excimer laser is used, produces a tag line of superequilibrium OH and H photoproducts in a high-temperature flow field that itself may contain ambient OH. The tag line OH concentration is composed mostly of direct OH photoproducts, but OH is also indirectly produced through H photoproduct reactions with oxygen-bearing species. For lean and modestly rich flames the OH tag lifetime is of the order of 1 ms. For very rich H(2)-air flames (equivalence ratio of 4.4) the lifetime drops to 200 ns. After displacement the position of the OH tag line is revealed through fluorescence caused by OH (A-X) (3 <-- 0) excitation by using a 248-nm tunable KrF excimer laser. A HTV grid of multiple tag lines, providing multipoint velocity information, is experimentally demonstrated in a turbulent H(2)/N(2)-air diffusion flame.

Soot-velocity measurements by particle vaporization velocimetry

We demonstrate a new imaging technique for velocity measurements in particle-laden flows. The technique, particle vaporization velocimetry, is a form of flow tagging based on laser vaporization of absorbing particles at defined locations in the flow. The locations of these tagged regions are then interrogated after a known delay to determine the convective velocity. Results are presented for vaporization of carbonaceous (soot) particles in a nonreacting gas jet and a hydrocarbon flame, with interrogation provided by either elastic scattering or laser-induced incandescence from the soot. The long lifetime of the tagged soot regions (>2 ms) allows measurements to be made over a wide range of velocities.

Application of tunable excimer lasers to combustion diagnostics: a review

Tunable excimer lasers are being used to produce species-, space-, and time-resolved images of complex gaseous media. These media may be analyzed for composition, density, temperature, or flow velocities. The techniques are, in general, highly selective, sensitive, and nonintrusive and are being made possible by recent technological developments in these UV lasers and in intensified cameras, imaging spectrographs, and fast digital image processing. We describe the needs for laser diagnostics in combustion, the physical mechanisms, the relevant spectroscopy, typical experimental setups, and equipment considerations. Precision and accuracy are discussed on the basis of some simple, but realistic, calculations intended to guide the experimentalist in design considerations and to reveal potential sources of errors in the often difficult conversion of raw data to values for such quantitative parameters as densities or temperatures. Finally we present an overview of previous results, select some examples that show the power of tunable excimer laser diagnostics in combustion, and present some suggestions for future directions.