Recent High-Speed Laser Diagnostics in Hypersonic Ground Test Facilities
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Naibo Jiang.
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Interferometric Rayleigh scattering (IRS) is a laser-based technique capable of spatially and temporally resolved measurement of gas velocity and temperature in unseeded gaseous flows. In the present embodiment of the technique, IRS is performed at 266 nm for the first time. IRS at 266 nm is potentially much less susceptible to interferences from particles and other stray light sources. A pulse-burst laser and high-speed camera provided image rates of 100 kHz, allowing simultaneous space- and time-resolved measurement in high speed flow at multiple points along a line. The use of 266 nm excitation and detection is compared with prior work that used 532 nm. New experimental interferogram modelling and fitting techniques for single and multi-velocity-component IRS were demonstrated in a study of the spatial and temporal variation of the flow along a line through a supersonic jet. Single component velocity and temperature measurements using 266 nm were successfully made and compared with prior 532 nm results. Two-component velocity measurements at 266 nm, using the reflected image method, were compared to single-component measurements.
This presentation gives an overview of the biography of Dr. Walter Lempert who was employed by NASA Langley in the 1980's and then was a researcher at The Ohio State University.
This presentation gives an overview of tomographic Rayleigh scattering imaging in ground test facilities.
Two-color Planar laser-induced fluorescence (TC-PLIF) thermometry techniques that employ two laser systems and two cameras face challenges when implemented in practical combustion facilities because of experimental complexity and multiple laser and camera requirements, particularly for high-speed TC-PLIF. To circumvent those problems, we developed a fast, dual-wavelength switching, burst-mode OPO technology to significantly reduce the experimental complexity of high-speed TC-PLIF thermometry and simplify its implementation in harsh combustion and flow test facilities. A fast, dual-wavelength switched seed laser enabled a high-energy, high-repetition-rate burst-mode laser to generate two 10-kHz pulse trains at wavelengths of ~354.8 nm. The injection-seeded OPO efficiently converts the burst-mode laser output to285.62 nm and 285.67 nm to excite the Q2(12) and P1(8) OH transitions. PLIF images were collected from each of the two excitation transitions with a single camera and an UV intensifier, and intensity ratios from the images were used to determine local temperatures. Ten kHz hydroxyl radical (OH) TC-PLIF for premixedCH4/Air/H2 jet flame was demonstrated.
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Two-color Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (TC-PLIF) thermometry techniques that employ two laser systems and two cameras face challenges when implemented in practical combustion facilities because of experimental complexity and multiple laser and camera requirements, particularly for high-speed TC-PLIF. To circumvent those problems, we developed a fast, dual-wavelength switching, burst-mode OPO technology to significantly reduce the experimental complexity of high-speed TC-PLIF thermometry and simplify its implementation in harsh combustion and flow test facilities. A fast, dual-wavelength switched seed laser enabled a high-energy, high-repetition-rate burst-mode laser to generate two 10-kHz pulse trains at wavelengths of ~354.8 nm. The injection-seeded OPO efficiently converts the burst-mode laser output to 285.62 nm and 285.67 nm to excite the Q2(12) andP1(8) OH transitions. PLIF images were collected from each of the two excitation transitions with a single camera and an UV intensifier, and intensity ratios from the images were used to determine local temperatures. Ten kHz hydroxyl radical (OH) TC-PLIF for premixedCH4/Air/H2 jet flame was demonstrated.
In the present work, we use a burst-mode laser and optical parametric oscillator system to perform high-spectral resolution NO-PLIF measurements of an underexpanded jet at a repetition-rate of 100 kHz, with the motivation of multi-parameter measurements of temperature, pressure, and velocity. The laser frequency of the 1064 nm seed laser for the burst-mode laser was scanned during the burst to cover two neighboring absorption line pairs near 226 nm. The peak PLIF signal intensity varies along the axial (z) direction of the underexpanded jet as the laser frequency is scanned, which we attribute to the collisional shift induced by the flow and only revealed due to the narrow linewidth of the laser. A pseudo-Voight fit is applied to the LIF excitation spectra on a pixel-by-pixel basis to measure the spectral position of the peak intensity for the two transition pairs and their amplitude. The spectral position of the peak intensity is used to derive a frequency shift, which is separated into its collisional and Doppler components using the axisymmetric nature of the flow field. The amplitude of the measured peaks is used for two-line rotational thermometry. Challenges for quantitative measurements using such an approach are discussed, including measuring the spatial variations in the energy distribution of the laser sheet at a 100 kHz repetition rate and uncertainty/variability in the step size during the fast frequency scan.
Recent advancements in megahertz rate, high-power, burst-mode laser technology are leveraged to perform and explore imaging measurements that spatially and temporally resolve the mixing, combustion, and detonation flow field in two laboratory-scale rotating detonation combustors (RDCs). In a non-premixed annular RDC, multiple imaging diagnostics are explored to investigate gaseous and liquid injector behavior, the detonation wave structure, and the propellant refill. In one instance, OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) imaging is performed up to a 2 MHz repetition rate to track the combustion products and reaction zone locations. In the same annular RDC, a single liquid fuel jet is injected, and laser-based 355-nm imaging of the fuel spray is performed up to a 1 MHz repetition rate. For this configuration, the annular RDC is used as a detonation driver to impose periodic detonation waves to interact with the fuel spray. Moreover, in this annular RDC, a range of tracer-based laser imaging measurements are explored to time-resolve the unsteady oxidizer air recovery and refill process. In a non-premixed linear RDC, planar imaging measurements of the fuel mixing are performed up to a 200 kHz repetition rate using PLIF of a tracer in the fuel supply. The fuel mixing imaging helps explain the origin of the observed pre and post wave burning, detonation structure, and enables quantifying injector recovery timescales. This paper will provide a high-level broad survey of diagnostics applied in these RDCs, lessons learned, and interesting observations.
In the present work, we use a burst-mode laser and optical parametric oscillator system to perform high-spectral resolution NO-PLIF measurements of an underexpanded jet at a repetition-rate of 100 kHz, with the motivation of multi-parameter measurements of temperature, pressure, and velocity. The laser frequency of the 1064 nm seed laser for the burst-mode laser was scanned during the burst to cover two neighboring absorption line pairs near 226 nm. The peak PLIF signal intensity varies along the axial (z) direction of the underexpanded jet as the laser frequency is scanned, which we attribute to the collisional shift induced by the flow and only revealed due to the narrow linewidth of the laser. A pseudo-Voight fit is applied to the LIF excitation spectra on a pixel-by-pixel basis to measure the spectral position of the peak intensity for the two transition pairs and their amplitude. The spectral position of the peak intensity is used to derive a frequency shift, which is separated into its collisional and Doppler components using the axisymmetric nature of the flow field. The amplitude of the measured peaks is used for two-line rotational thermometry. Challenges for quantitative measurements using such an approach are discussed, including measuring the spatial variations in the energy distribution of the laser sheet at a 100 kHz repetition rate and uncertainty/variability in the step size during the fast frequency scan.
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Long-lived NO fluorescence with a lifetime of several microseconds is demonstrated for MTV using an efficient 1+1 resonant-enhanced-multiphoton-ionization (REMPI) process. This measurement technology is particularly applicable to high-speed flows under a wide pressure range.
Highlights from recent PLIF test campaigns at large-scale NASA facilities and lab-scale developments are summarized. The measurements presented here have the potential to aid researchers in validating complex simulations and inform designs for spaceflight vehicles.
The interaction of a rocket exhaust plume with a particulate-laden surface creates a complex, multiphase flow field that can destabilize the vehicle and damage nearby equipment. This study investigates two methods for capturing the particulate dynamics of plume-surface interaction (PSI): optical fiber-based multi-resolution Mie scattering and multi-dimensional X-ray radiography. Mie scattering was used to track PSI-interacted particles, trace their paths, and measure velocities. While effective for the jet periphery and early PSI stages, the technique becomes limited as the scattering cross-section increases over time due to particle displacement from the soil bed, causing the core to become optically dense and appear as a luminous, opaque region. To address this, X-ray radiography was explored as a complementary method for visualizing the optically dense core. PSI experiments were conducted with both reacting and non-reacting jets to evaluate these approaches across a range of optical and flow parameters. The results demonstrated the capability of the fiber-based multi-resolution imaging system to capture simultaneous fields of view at varying magnifications (1x, 2x, 4x), and the ability of X-ray imaging to penetrate the optically dense plume, revealing flow structures that would otherwise be obscured in scattering-based methods. Data were collected for various PSI parameters, including three different heights above the surface, to analyze the ejecta properties and the plume’s temporal evolution. These results provide the first imaging strategy capable of resolving flow structures over a wide spatial dynamic range while also offering the first visualization of the optically dense core.