Spectroscopic Measurement Techniques at NASA
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laser based measurement techniques↗
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NASA Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of UTRC Low Emissions Injector
Computational and experimental analyses of a PICS-Pilot-In-Can-Swirler technology injector, developed by United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) are presented. NASA has defined technology targets for near term (called "N+1", circa 2015), midterm ("N+2", circa 2020) and far term ("N+3", circa 2030) that specify realistic emissions and fuel efficiency goals for commercial aircraft. This injector has potential for application in an engine to meet the Pratt & Whitney N+3 supersonic cycle goals, or the subsonic N+2 engine cycle goals. Experimental methods were employed to investigate supersonic cruise points as well as select points of the subsonic cycle engine; cruise, approach, and idle with a slightly elevated inlet pressure. Experiments at NASA employed gas analysis and a suite of laser-based measurement techniques to characterize the combustor flow downstream from the PICS dump plane. Optical diagnostics employed for this work included Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence of fuel for injector spray pattern and Spontaneous Raman Spectroscopy for relative species concentration of fuel and CO2. The work reported here used unheated (liquid) Jet-A fuel for all fuel circuits and cycle conditions. The initial tests performed by UTRC used vaporized Jet-A to simulate the expected supersonic cruise condition, which anticipated using fuel as a heat sink. Using the National Combustion Code a PICS-based combustor was modeled with liquid fuel at the supersonic cruise condition. All CFD models used a cubic non-linear k-epsilon turbulence wall functions model, and a semi-detailed Jet-A kinetic mechanism based on a surrogate fuel mixture. Two initial spray droplet size distribution and spray cone conditions were used: (1) an initial condition (Lefebvre) with an assumed Rosin-Rammler distribution, and 7 degree Solid Spray Cone; and (2) the Boundary Layer Stripping (BLS) primary atomization model giving the spray size distribution and directional properties. Contour and line plots are shown in comparison with experimental data (where this data is available) for flow velocities, fuel, and temperature distribution. The CFD results are consistent with experimental observations for fuel distribution and vaporization. Analysis of gas sample results, using a previously-developed NASA NOx correlation, indicates that for sea-level takeoff, the PICS configuration is predicted to deliver an EINOx value of about three for the targeted supersonic aircraft. Emissions results at supersonic cruise conditions show potential for meeting the NASA goals with liquid fuel.
Hicks, Yolanda R.↗
NASA Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of UTRC Low Emissions Injector
Computational and experimental analyses of a PICS-Pilot-In-Can-Swirler technology injector, developed by United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) are presented. NASA has defined technology targets for near term (called "N+1", circa 2015), midterm ("N+2", circa 2020) and far term ("N+3", circa 2030) that specify realistic emissions and fuel efficiency goals for commercial aircraft. This injector has potential for application in an engine to meet the Pratt & Whitney N+3 supersonic cycle goals, or the subsonic N+2 engine cycle goals. Experimental methods were employed to investigate supersonic cruise points as well as select points of the subsonic cycle engine; cruise, approach, and idle with a slightly elevated inlet pressure. Experiments at NASA employed gas analysis and a suite of laser-based measurement techniques to characterize the combustor flow downstream from the PICS dump plane. Optical diagnostics employed for this work included Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence of fuel for injector spray pattern and Spontaneous Raman Spectroscopy for relative species concentration of fuel and CO2. The work reported here used unheated (liquid) Jet-A fuel for all fuel circuits and cycle conditions. The initial tests performed by UTRC used vaporized Jet-A to simulate the expected supersonic cruise condition, which anticipated using fuel as a heat sink. Using the National Combustion Code a PICS-based combustor was modeled with liquid fuel at the supersonic cruise condition. All CFD models used a cubic non-linear k-epsilon turbulence wall functions model, and a semi-detailed Jet-A kinetic mechanism based on a surrogate fuel mixture. Two initial spray droplet size distribution and spray cone conditions were used: 1) an initial condition (Lefebvre) with an assumed Rosin-Rammler distribution, and 7 degree Solid Spray Cone; and 2) the Boundary Layer Stripping (BLS) primary atomization model giving the spray size distribution and directional properties. Contour and line plots are shown in comparison with experimental data (where this data is available) for flow velocities, fuel, and temperature distribution. The CFD results are consistent with experimental observations for fuel distribution and vaporization. Analysis of gas sample results, using a previously-developed NASA NOx correlation, indicates that for sea-level takeoff, the PICS configuration is predicted to deliver an EINOx value of about 3 for the targeted supersonic aircraft. Emissions results at supersonic cruise conditions show potential for meeting the NASA goals with liquid fuel.
Hicks, Yolanda R.↗
Response Surface Methods for Spatially-Resolved Optical Measurement Techniques
Response surface methods (or methodology), RSM, have been applied to improve data quality for two vastly different spatial ly-re solved optical measurement techniques. In the first application, modern design of experiments (MDOE) methods, including RSM, are employed to map the temperature field in a direct-connect supersonic combustion test facility at NASA Langley Research Center. The laser-based measurement technique known as coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) is used to measure temperature at various locations in the combustor. RSM is then used to develop temperature maps of the flow. Even though the temperature fluctuations at a single point in the flowfield have a standard deviation on the order of 300 K, RSM provides analytic fits to the data having 95% confidence interval half width uncertainties in the fit as low as +/-30 K. Methods of optimizing future CARS experiments are explored. The second application of RSM is to quantify the shape of a 5-meter diameter, ultra-light, inflatable space antenna at NASA Langley Research Center.
Danehy, P. M.↗
Response Surface Methods For Spatially-Resolved Optical Measurement Techniques
Response surface methods (or methodology), RSM, have been applied to improve data quality for two vastly different spatially-resolved optical measurement techniques. In the first application, modern design of experiments (MDOE) methods, including RSM, are employed to map the temperature field in a direct-connect supersonic combustion test facility at NASA Langley Research Center. The laser-based measurement technique known as coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) is used to measure temperature at various locations in the combustor. RSM is then used to develop temperature maps of the flow. Even though the temperature fluctuations at a single point in the flowfield have a standard deviation on the order of 300 K, RSM provides analytic fits to the data having 95% confidence interval half width uncertainties in the fit as low as +/- 30 K. Methods of optimizing future CARS experiments are explored. The second application of RSM is to quantify the shape of a 5-meter diameter, ultra-lightweight, inflatable space antenna at NASA Langley Research Center. Photogrammetry is used to simultaneously measure the shape of the antenna at approximately 500 discrete spatial locations. RSM allows an analytic model to be developed that describes the shape of the majority of the antenna with an uncertainty of 0.4 mm, with 95% confidence. This model would allow a quantitative comparison between the actual shape of the antenna and the original design shape. Accurately determining this shape also allows confident interpolation between the measured points. Such a model could, for example, be used for ray tracing of radio-frequency waves up to 95 GHz. to predict the performance of the antenna.
Danehy, P. M.↗
Laser-Based Diagnostic Measurements of Low Emissions Combustor Concepts
This presentation provides a summary of primarily laser-based measurement techniques we use at NASA Glenn Research Center to characterize fuel injection, fuel/air mixing, and combustion. The report highlights using Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence, Particle Image Velocimetry, and Phase Doppler Interferometry to obtain fuel injector patternation, fuel and air velocities, and fuel drop sizes and turbulence intensities during combustion. We also present a brief comparison between combustors burning standard JP-8 Jet fuel and an alternative fuels. For this comparison, we used flame chemiluminescence and high speed imaging.
Hicks, Yolanda R.↗
Considerations for in situ, real time measurement of plasma-material interactions using Digital Holographic imaging
Digital Holographic (DH) imaging is a laser-based measurement technique, which can be used to monitor a material surface as it is being exposed to fusion-relevant plasmas. Both single-laser and dual-laser DH measurements have been demonstrated ex situ at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A DH diagnostic system is being assessed for deployment at ORNL to make in situ, real-time measurements of plasma erosion/redeposition in the Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX). In situ, real time measurements pose unique challenges to diagnostic systems, which are not encountered by ex situ analysis techniques. The absolute surface height (tracked at the nm to μm position) during plasma exposure can be modified by: 1) surface movement due to vibration or thrust exerted by the plasma device, 2) surface growth due to the thermal expansion of the material under steady MW/m2 or transient GW/m2 plasma heat loads, and 3) surface modification due to plasma erosion/redeposition of the material substrate. To assess these effects, 1) the vibration spectrum of the diagnostic and the pulsed plasma device have been measured, 2) the thermal growth of the surface has been measured for an applied heat flux, and 3) the surface modification has been measured ex situ post plasma exposure, and ex situ post laser ablation as a proxy for the plasma. This paper will provide an overview of the results that have been achieved in the development of a DH diagnostic for in situ real-time measurements of plasma exposed surfaces in the Proto-MPEX device.
Biewer, Theodore↗
Small Business Innovations
Under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to Kennedy Space Center, EIC Laboratories invented a Raman Spectrograph with fiber optic sampling for space applications such as sensing hazardous fuel vapors and making on-board rapid analyses of chemicals and minerals. Raman spectroscopy is a laser-based measurement technique that provides through a unique vibrational spectrum a molecular 'fingerprint,' and can function in aqueous environments. EIC combined optical fiber technology with Raman methods to develop sensors that can be operated at a distance from the spectrographic analysis instruments and the laser excitation source. EIC refined and commercialized the technology to create the Fiber Optic Raman Spectrograph and the RamanProbe. Commercial applications range from process control to monitoring hazardous materials.
Source record↗
Development of Doppler Global Velocimetry for Wind Tunnel Testing
The development of Doppler global velocimetry is described. Emphasis is placed on the modifications necessary to advance this nonintrusive laser based measurement technique from a laboratory prototype to a viable wind tunnel flow diagnostics tool. Several example wind tunnel flow field investigations are described to illustrate the versatility of the technique. Flow conditions ranged from incompressible to Mach 2.8 with measurement distances extending from 1 to 15 m.
Meyers, James F.↗
Simultaneous Temperature and Velocity Measurements in a Large-Scale, Supersonic, Heated Jet
Two laser-based measurement techniques have been used to characterize an axisymmetric, combustion-heated supersonic jet issuing into static room air. The dual-pump coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) measurement technique measured temperature and concentration while the interferometric Rayleigh scattering (IRS) method simultaneously measured two components of velocity. This paper reports a preliminary analysis of CARS-IRS temperature and velocity measurements from selected measurement locations. The temperature measurements show that the temperature along the jet axis remains constant while dropping off radially. The velocity measurements show that the nozzle exit velocity fluctuations are about 3% of the maximum velocity in the flow.
Danehy, P. M.↗
The NASA Langley Isolator Dynamics Research Lab
The Isolator Dynamics Research Lab (IDRL) is under construction at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. A unique test apparatus is being fabricated to support both wall and in-stream measurements for investigating the internal flow of a dual-mode scramjet isolator model. The test section is 24 inches long with a 1-inch by 2-inch cross sectional area and is supplied with unheated, dry air through a Mach 2.5 converging-diverging nozzle. The test section is being fabricated with two sets (glass and metallic) of interchangeable sidewalls to support flow visualization and laser-based measurement techniques as well as static pressure, wall temperature, and high frequency pressure measurements. During 2010, a CFD code validation experiment will be conducted in the lab in support of NASA s Fundamental Aerodynamics Program. This paper describes the mechanical design of the Isolator Dynamics Research Lab test apparatus and presents a summary of the measurement techniques planned for investigating the internal flow field of a scramjet isolator model.
Middleton, Troy F.↗
Laser-Based Spectroscopic Technique for Subsurface Measurements
American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting 2023, Las Vegas, NV, March 5-10, 2023
Bhatt, Chet R.↗
Interactions between Surface Chemistry and Gas-Phase Combustion: New Optical Tools for Probing Flame-Wall Interactions and the Heterogeneous Chemistry of Soot Growth and Oxidation in Flame. Final report
Some of the most stubborn and technologically critical problems in combustion are dominated by heterogeneous processes. While purely gas-phase combustion systems have been the subject of intense theoretical and experimental study, combustion phenomena occurring at interfaces are far less understood. This is partly caused by the lack of experimental approaches capable of probing locations very close to an interface, especially in the hostile environment of combustion. For laser-based optical techniques, measurements taken near interfaces are often complicated by laser scattering from the surface interfering with relatively weak signals. Further, for measurements intended to probe molecular species adsorbed at the interface between a gas-phase combustion reaction and a condensed phase material, signals are generally overwhelmed by contributions from the bulk phases, causing the small contribution from the interfacial molecular species to be undetectable. Our goal in this project has been to develop new optical tools for imaging chemical species, temperature, and surface species at and near surfaces or interfaces of relevance to combustion. We have placed focus on the development and refinement of ultrafast techniques such as femtosecond coherent Raman imaging and femtosecond/picosecond sum-frequency generation (SFG) scattering, as well as the models used to simulate such spectra under differing conditions of pressure and chemical speciation. The two physical phenomena initially targeted for study in this project were flamewall interactions, and the growth of particulates in flames.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Instantaneous Three-Dimensional Temperature Measurements via Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy with Structured Light
Detonations and flames are characterized by three-dimensional (3D) temperature fields, yet state-of- the-art temperature measurement techniques yield information at a point or along a line. The goal of the research documented here was to combine ultrafast laser spectroscopy and structured illumination to deliver an unprecedented measurement capability—three-dimensional, instantaneous temperature measurements in a gas-phase volume. To achieve this objective, different parts of the proposed technique were developed and tested independently. Structured illumination was used to image particulate matter (soot) in a turbulent flame at multiple planes using a single laser pulse and a single camera. Emission spectroscopy with structured detection was demonstrated for emission- based measurements of explosives with enhance dimensionality. Finally, an instrument for multi- planar laser-based temperature measurement technique was developed. Structured illumination techniques will continue to be developed for multi-dimensional and multi-parameter measurements. These new measurement capabilities will be important for heat transfer and fluid dynamic research areas.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Studies on Stress-Strain Relationships of Polymeric Materials Used in Space Applications
A two-year research plan was undertaken in association with Polymers Branch, NASA Glenn Research Center, to carry out experimental and modeling work relating stress and strain behavior of polymeric materials, especially elastomers and vulcanized rubber. An experimental system based on MTS (Mechanical Testing and Simulation) A/T-4 test facility environment has been developed for a broader range of polymeric materials in addition to a design of laser compatible temperature control chamber for online measurements of various strains. Necessary material processing has been accomplished including rubber compounding and thermoplastic elastomer processing via injection molding. A broad suite of testing methodologies has been identified to reveal the complex non-linear mechanical behaviors of rubbery materials when subjected to complex modes of deformation. This suite of tests required the conceptualization, design and development of new specimen geometries, test fixtures, and test systems including development of a new laser based technique to measure large multi-axial deformations. Test data has been generated for some of these new fixtures and has revealed some complex coupling effects generated during multi-axial deformations. In addition, fundamental research has been conducted concerning the foundation principles of rubber thermodynamics and resulting theories of rubber elasticity. Studies have been completed on morphological properties of several thermoplastic elastomers. Finally, a series of steps have been identified to further advance the goals of NASA's ongoing effort.
Jana, Sadhan C.↗
Controlling Fringe Sensitivity of Electro-Optic Holography Systems Using Laser Diode Current Modulation
Electro-Optic Holography (EOH) is a non-intrusive, laser-based, displacement measurement technique capable of static and dynamic displacement measurements. EOH is an optical interference technique in which fringe patterns that represent displacement contour maps are generated. At excessively large displacements the fringe density may be so great that individual fringes are not resolvable using typical EOH techniques. This thesis focuses on the development and implementation of a method for controlling the sensitivity of the EOH system. This method is known as Frequency Translated Electro-Optic Holography (FTEOH). It was determined that by modulating the current source of the laser diode at integer multiples of the object vibration, the fringe pattern is governed by higher order Bessel function of the first kind and the number of fringes that represent a given displacement can be controlled. The reduction of fringes is theoretically unlimited but physically limited by the frequency bandwidth of the signal generator, providing modulation to the laser diode. Although this research technique has been verified theoretically and experimentally in this thesis, due to the current laser diode capabilities it is a tedious and time consuming process to acquire data using the FTEOH technique.
Bybee, Shannon J.↗
Multimode turbulent flow measurements using magnetic resonance imaging- and laser-based techniques and computational fluid dynamics simulations
We studied the flow field characteristics of a turbulent flow over a regularized cube array with a perpendicular injection flow through the floor between the second and third cubical elements, representing the complex flow interactions of a 3D jet and the wake flows behind cubical obstacles. Four different experimental measurements were performed: two magnetic resonance imaging-based measurements for three-dimensional three-component velocity (MRV) and concentration (MRC) and two laser-based techniques, particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), for two-dimensional two-component velocity and concentration measurement, respectively. The mainstream Reynolds number is Re = 15 000, based on the primary inlet velocity U m and channel height D H , whereas the injector Reynolds number is Re j = 3400, based on the injector velocity U j and the injector's exit width D j . Numerical simulations were performed for the studied flow configuration of turbulent flow over a regularized cube array using Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large-eddy simulation (LES) approaches. Results obtained from experimental measurements—including MRV, MRC, PIV, and PLIF—as well as RANS and LES simulations are discussed and compared along several horizontal and vertical planes of the studied configuration. In addition, 3D turbulent flow structures, such as leading-edge vortex, horseshoe vortex, and jet shear-layer vortex, and the isosurfaces of scalar concentration successfully revealed by MRV and MRC techniques were found to be in very good agreement with those 3D features extracted from RANS and LES simulations. In conclusion, the high-resolution experimental and numerical database obtained from this study could be useful for validation and verification of numerical codes.
Computational fluid dynamics↗
Instrumentation techniques for studying heterogeneous combustion
Velocity measurements in flames and the simultaneous measurement of droplet size and velocity with the aid of laser anemometry are considered along with methods of particle size measurement and techniques based on laser Raman spectroscopy. Attention is given to high-speed photography and holography, computer compensated thermocouples, and the determination of turbulence characteristics. The employment of suction probes is also discussed, taking into account sampling methods, the effects of temperature change in sampling probes on particle formation, and the chemical analysis of samples.
Chigier, N. A.↗