A Combusting Flowfield Diagnostic System is to be purchased for probing the spatial characteristics of one- and two-phase reacting flows. The system consists of three major components: (1) a Nd:YAG laser capable of high pulse energies to illuminate the reacting flow under study, (2) a high resolution, solid-state camera to detect the scattered laser light, and (3) a supercomputer workstation with hardware dedicated to real time two-and three-dimensional graphics operations to control the laser and detectors, analyze and display the measured data, and perform computational tasks currently done at supercomputer centers. Some specific experiments which will be performed with this equipment are as follows: (1) measurement of species concentrations and temperatures in laminar premixed and nonpremixed flames; (2) measurement of the temperature field and its full three- dimensional gradient at 106 points within a cross section of a turbulent flame; (3) determination of the species inside a burning droplet using stimulated Raman scattering or coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering; (4) simultaneous spectral and spatial imaging of fuel droplets, which will allow the determination of size and chemical makeup of several particles in a single laser pulse; and (5) study of the burning of micron-sized solid particles in a range or aggregation regimes by electrospray techniques. The potential impact of laser diagnostic measurements and computational methods on combustion research is great. By performing measurements in two or three dimensions, the characteristics of large-scale structures can be determined and the interaction between the fluid motion and the chemistry studied. The cooperative experimental and computational effort will benefit both portions of the research.
