This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop and commercialize an imaging sensor capable of rapid, non?]intrusive, spatially?]resolved measurement of temperature, and concentration of chemical species in combustion systems. This imaging sensor system incorporates diode lasers, a high?]sensitivity measurement technique based on absorption spectroscopy, and data analysis routines to provide an unprecedented combination of high?]temporal and high?]spatial resolution, and multi?]dimensional data. In many applications, information about the spatial and temporal variation of the properties is critical. Examples include the monitoring and control of industrial combustors and furnaces, where information about the location of the ?ghot spots?h is highly desired; and the monitoring of indoor air pollutants, where information about the location and diffusion properties of the contamination sources is critical. The technical goal is a laboratory scale demonstration of the imaging sensor providing spatial distribution of flow properties. The broader impacts of this research are that specific markets relevant to this work include both military and commercial jet engine manufacturers, manufacturers of industrial combustors/burners for power generation and heat processing, manufacturers of environmental sensors, the academic research community, and government research laboratories and flight test programs. The initial target application of the proposed imaging sensor is in the energy and environmental sectors which include the monitoring and control of combustion systems to reduce pollutant emissions, improve indoor/outdoor air quality, and maximize fuel efficiency.
The goal of this SBIR project is the development and commercialization of a diode laser based imaging sensor capable of rapid, noninvasive, spatially-resolved measurement of temperature, pressure, and concentration of chemical species in combustion systems. The proposed imaging sensor system could provide high-sensitivity spatially resolved measurements in noisy environments, i.e. with high background light emissions. The combined benefits of wavelength modulated-tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (WMS-TDLAS), high-speed imagers, and tomography inversion algorithms may provide real-time concentration measurements of gaseous species and flow properties with high-temporal and high-spatial resolution. The Phase I research activities included the design and set up of the imaging system, and the demonstration of its operation using a laboratory flame from a propane tube burner. Oxygen concentrations along the burner in the sooty regions were measured using the imaging system with wavelength modulation spectroscopy at 2f detection. During flame on and off conditions, changes in oxygen concentrations were measured and the time response of the system from on to off is within 40 ms, making the system suitable for measuring unsteady reacting and nonreacting flows. Measurements of water vapor concentrations are also possible with this system. The imaging system can provide spatial resolution of less than 100 micrometers. The target applications of the proposed imaging sensor are in the energy and environmental sectors. This includes the monitoring and control of individual burners in combustion systems to reduce pollutant emissions, improvement of indoor/outdoor air quality, and maximization of fuel efficiency.
