Quantitative investigation of soot distribution by laser-induced incandescence

Appl Opt. 2000 Sep 20;39(27):5012-22. doi: 10.1364/ao.39.005012.

Abstract

Strategies employed for quantitative measurement by laser-induced incandescence are detailed. Data are obtained for several laminar diffusion flames formed from blended Diesel fuels of known composition. A tomographic procedure is developed to scale the two-dimensional data to soot volume fraction and to correct for the trapping of signal by the soot field. Scaling is achieved by use of laser extinction along the measurement plane. The findings are used in discussions of measurement issues within turbulent environments. Data are augmented with elastic scattering measurements, allowing particle-size and number-density distributions to be inferred. A degree of axial and radial similarity among various flames suggests that the processes of soot formation and oxidation occur over similar time scales for each fuel.