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NASA NTRS2000

Two Fiber Optical Fiber Thermometry

An optical fiber thermometer consists of an optical fiber whose sensing tip is given a metallic coating. The sensing tip of the fiber is essentially an isothermal cavity, so the emission from this cavity will be approximately equal to the emission from a blackbody. Temperature readings are obtained by measuring the spectral radiative heat flux at the end of the fiber at two wavelengths. The ratio of these measurements and Planck's Law are used to infer the temperature at the sensing tip. Optical fiber thermometers have high accuracy, excellent long-term stability and are immune to electromagnetic interference. In addition, they can be operated for extended periods without requiring re-calibration. For these reasons. it is desirable to use optical fiber thermometers in environments such as the International Space Station. However, it has recently been shown that temperature readings are corrupted by emission from the fiber when extended portions of the probe are exposed to elevated temperatures. This paper will describe several ways in which the reading from a second fiber can be used to correct the corrupted temperature measurements. The accuracy and sensitivity to measurement uncertainty will be presented for each method.

Jones, Mathew R.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Low-Resolution Raman-Spectroscopy Combustion Thermometry

A method of optical thermometry, now undergoing development, involves low-resolution measurement of the spectrum of spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) from N2 and O2 molecules. The method is especially suitable for measuring temperatures in high pressure combustion environments that contain N2, O2, or N2/O2 mixtures (including air). Methods based on SRS (in which scattered light is shifted in wavelength by amounts that depend on vibrational and rotational energy levels of laser-illuminated molecules) have been popular means of probing flames because they are almost the only methods that provide spatially and temporally resolved concentrations and temperatures of multiple molecular species in turbulent combustion. The present SRS-based method differs from prior SRS-based methods that have various drawbacks, a description of which would exceed the scope of this article. Two main differences between this and prior SRS-based methods are that it involves analysis in the frequency (equivalently, wavelength) domain, in contradistinction to analysis in the intensity domain in prior methods; and it involves low-resolution measurement of what amounts to predominantly the rotational Raman spectra of N2 and O2, in contradistinction to higher-resolution measurement of the vibrational Raman spectrum of N2 only in prior methods.

Nguyen, Quang-Viet↗

NASA NTRS2007

Single-Shot Rotational Raman Thermometry for Turbulent Flames Using a Low-Resolution Bandwidth Technique

An alternative optical thermometry technique that utilizes the low-resolution (order 10(exp 1)/cm) pure-rotational spontaneous Raman scattering of air is developed to aid single-shot multiscalar measurements in turbulent combustion studies. Temperature measurements are realized by correlating the measured envelope bandwidth of the pure-rotational manifold of the N2/O2 spectrum with a theoretical prediction of a species-weighted bandwidth. By coupling this thermometry technique with conventional vibrational Raman scattering for species determination, we demonstrate quantitative spatially resolved, single-shot measurements of the temperature and fuel/oxidizer concentrations in a high-pressure turbulent Cf4-air flame. Our technique provides not only an effective means of validating other temperature measurement methods, but also serves as a secondary thermometry technique in cases where the anti-Stokes vibrational N2 Raman signals are too low for a conventional vibrational temperature analysis.

Kojima, Jun↗

NASA NTRS1989

Optical Johnson noise thermometry

A concept is being explored that an optical analog of the electrical Johnson noise may be used to measure temperature independently of emissivity. The concept is that a laser beam may be modulated on reflection from a hot surface by interaction of the laser photons with the thermally agitated conduction electrons or the lattice phonons, thereby adding noise to the reflected laser beam. If the reflectance noise can be detected and quantified in a background of other noise in the optical and signal processing systems, the reflectance noise may provide a noncontact measurement of the absolute surface temperature and may be independent of the surface's emissivity.

Shepard, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1994

High Temperature Calibration Furnace System user's guide

The High Temperature Calibration Furnace System (HTCFS) was developed by Summitec Corporation. It is a high precision instrument providing a constant temperature which can be used to calibrate high temperature thermocouples. Incorporating the many recent technological advances from the fields of optical fiber thermometry, material science, computer systems interfacing, and process control, the engineers at Summitec Corporation have been able to create a system that can reach a steady operating temperature of 1700 C. The precision for the system requires the measurement of temperature to be within 1 C in two hours and within 2 C in 24 hours. As documented, the experimental result shows that this system has been able to stay within .5 C in 5 hours. No other systems commercially available have been able to achieve such high temperature precision. This manual provides an overview of the system design, instructions for instrument setup, and operation procedures. Also included are a vendor list and the source codes for the custom-designed software.

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NASA NTRS2008

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2008

Topics covered include: Digital Phase Meter for a Laser Heterodyne Interferometer; Vision System Measures Motions of Robot and External Objects; Advanced Precipitation Radar Antenna to Measure Rainfall From Space; Wide-Band Radar for Measuring Thickness of Sea Ice; Vertical Isolation for Photodiodes in CMOS Imagers; Wide-Band Microwave Receivers Using Photonic Processing; L-Band Transmit/Receive Module for Phase-Stable Array Antennas; Microwave Power Combiner/Switch Utilizing a Faraday Rotator; Compact Low-Loss Planar Magic-T; Using Pipelined XNOR Logic to Reduce SEU Risks in State Machines; Quasi-Optical Transmission Line for 94-GHz Radar; Next Generation Flight Controller Trainer System; Converting from DDOR SASF to APF; Converting from CVF to AAF; Documenting AUTOGEN and APGEN Model Files; Sequence History Update Tool; Extraction and Analysis of Display Data; MRO DKF Post-Processing Tool; Rig Diagnostic Tools; MRO Sequence Checking Tool; Science Activity Planner for the MER Mission; UAVSAR Flight-Planning System; Templates for Deposition of Microscopic Pointed Structures; Adjustable Membrane Mirrors Incorporating G-Elastomers; Hall-Effect Thruster Utilizing Bismuth as Propellant; High-Temperature Crystal-Growth Cartridge Tubes Made by VPS; Quench Crucibles Reinforced with Metal; Deep-Sea Hydrothermal-Vent Sampler; Mars Rocket Propulsion System; Two-Stage Passive Vibration Isolator; Improved Thermal Design of a Compression Mold; Enhanced Pseudo-Waypoint Guidance for Spacecraft Maneuvers; Altimetry Using GPS-Reflection/Occultation Interferometry; Thermally Driven Josephson Effect; Perturbation Effects on a Supercritical C7H16/N2 Mixing Layer; Gold Nanoparticle Labels Amplify Ellipsometric Signals; Phase Matching of Diverse Modes in a WGM Resonator; WGM Resonators for Terahertz-to-Optical Frequency Conversion; Determining Concentration of Nanoparticles from Ellipsometry; Microwave-to-Optical Conversion in WGM Resonators; Four-Pass Coupler for Laser-Diode-Pumped Solid-State Laser; Low-Resolution Raman-Spectroscopy Combustion Thermometry; Temperature Sensors Based on WGM Optical Resonators; Varying the Divergence of Multiple Parallel Laser Beams; Efficient Algorithm for Rectangular Spiral Search; Algorithm-Based Fault Tolerance Integrated with Replication; Targeting and Localization for Mars Rover Operations; Terrain-Adaptive Navigation Architecture; Self-Adjusting Hash Tables for Embedded Flight Applications; Schema for Spacecraft-Command Dictionary; Combined GMSK Communications and PN Ranging; System-Level Integration of Mass Memory; Network-Attached Solid-State Recorder Architecture; Method of Cross-Linking Aerogels Using a One-Pot Reaction Scheme; An Efficient Reachability Analysis Algorithm.

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NASA NTRS1992

Optical fiber spectroscopy: A study of the luminescent properties of the europium ion for thermal sensors

Recently, there has been interest in developing a distributed temperature sensor integrated into an optical fiber. Such a system would allow embedding of the optical fiber within or on a structural material to provide for continuous monitoring of the material's temperature. Work has already begun on the development of a temperature sensor using the temperature dependent emission spectra from the lanthanide rare earths doped into crystalline hosts. The lifetime, the linewidth and the integrated intensity of this emission are each sensitive to changes in the temperature and can provide a basis for thermometry. One concept for incorporating this phenomena into an optical fiber based sensor involves bonding the optically active material to the cladding of an optical fiber and allowing the luminescent light to couple into the the fiber by the evanescent wave. Experimental work developing this concept has already been reported. Measurements of the linewidth of Eu3+:Y2O3, diffused into a fiber, made by Albin clearly show a strong and regular dependence on temperature over the range of 300 to 1000 K. We report here on a study of the temperature dependence of the lineshape of the emission at 611 nm using the data in references. We focus attention on understanding the general behavior of the Eu3+:Y2O3 system. Building upon understanding of this system we will be able to establish the physical criterial for a good optical fiber based temperature sensor and then to examine available data on other lanthanide rare earths and transition metal ions to determine the best luminescent system for temperature sensing in an optical fiber.

Buoncristiani, A. Martin↗

NASA NTRS2012

Measurement of Two-Phase Flow and Heat Transfer Parameters using Infrared Thermometry

A novel technique to measure heat transfer and liquid film thickness distributions over relatively large areas for two-phase flow and heat transfer phenomena using infrared (IR)thermometry is described. IR thermometry is an established technology that can be used to measure temperatures when optical access to the surface is available in the wavelengths of interest. In this work, a midwave IR camera (3.6-5.1 microns) is used to determine the temperature distribution within a multilayer consisting of a silicon substrate coated with a thin insulator. Since silicon is largely transparent to IR radiation, the temperature of the inner and outer walls of the multilayer can be measured by coating selected areas with a thin, IR opaque film. If the fluid used is also partially transparent to IR, the flow can be visualized and the liquid film thickness can be measured. The theoretical basis for the technique is given along with a description of the test apparatus and data reduction procedure. The technique is demonstrated by determining the heat transfer coefficient distributions produced by droplet evaporation and flow boiling heat transfer.

Kim, Tae-Hoon↗

NASA NTRS2015

Understanding Radiation Thermometry

This document is a two-part course on the theory and practice of radiation thermometry. Radiation thermometry is the technique for determining the temperature of a surface or a volume by measuring the electromagnetic radiation it emits. This course covers the theory and practice of radiative thermometry and emphasizes the modern application of the field using commercially available electronic detectors and optical components. The course covers the historical development of the field, the fundamental physics of radiative surfaces, along with modern measurement methods and equipment.

Risch Timothy K.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Understanding Radiation Thermometry

Risch, Timothy K.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Optical radiation measurements II; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Mar. 27, 28, 1989

The present conference discusses topics in the characterization of imaging radiometers, laboratory instrumentation, field and spacecraft instrumentation, and quantum and thermal standard detectors. Attention is given to UV radiometric imaging, dual-color radiometer imagery, a novel diode-array radiometer, a novel reference spectrophotometer, radiance calibration of spherical integrators, instrumentation for measurement of spectral goniometric reflectance, and a real-time IR background discrimination radiometer. Also discussed are a multichannel radiometer for atmosphere optical property measurements, the UV spectroradiometric output of a turbojet, characterizations of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment scanning radiometers, total-radiation thermometry, future directions in Si photodiode self-calibration, and radiometric quality Ge photodiodes.

Palmer, James M.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Fluorescence spectroscopy and thermometry for hypersonic flight research

The present study, which has demonstrated the feasibility of using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence methods to ascertain boundary layer temperature distributions in real time for hypersonic vehicles in atmospheric flight, employs conventional optics in combination with novel time-resolved spectroscopy. The radiative lifetime and signal intensity involved, both of which are reduced by quenching, are adequate for measurement with state-of-the-art time-resolved fluorescence techniques, except for certain conditions associated with both the highest speeds and the lowest altitudes.

Thompson, B. E.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Radiation thermometry: The measurement problem

An overview of the theory and techniques of radiometric thermometry is presented. The characteristics of thermal radiators (targets) are discussed along with surface roughness and oxidation effects, fresnel reflection and subsurface effects in dielectrics. The effects of the optical medium between the radiating target and the radiation thermometer are characterized including atmospheric effects, ambient temperature and dust environment effects and the influence of measurement windows. The optical and photodetection components of radiation thermometers are described and techniques for the correction of emissivity effects are addressed.

Nutter, G. D.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Single-pulse broad-band rotational CARS thermometry of cold N2 gas

Coherent anti Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) from the pure rotational Raman lines of N2 was employed to measure the instantaneous (10 nsec) rotational temperature of the gas at room temperature and below. An entire rotational CARS spectrum was generated by a single laser pulse using a broad bandwidth dye laser and was recorded on an optical multichannel analyzer. A best fit temperature obtained for individual experimental spectra by comparison with calculated spectra. Good agreement between CARS temperatures and thermocouple temperatures was observed.

Chang, R. K.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Non-contact temperature measurement

Three methods for noncontact temperature measurement are presented. Ideal gas thermometry is realized by using laser-induced fluorescence to measure the concentration of mercury atoms in a Hg-Ar mixture in the vicinity of hot specimens. Emission polarimetry is investigated by measuring the spatially resolved intensities of polarized light from a hot tungsten sphere. Laser polarimetry is used to measure the optical properties, emissivity, and, in combination with optical pyrometry, the temperature of electromagnetically levitated liquid aluminum. The precision of temperature measurements based on the ideal gas law is + or - 2.6 percent at 1500-2000 K. The polarized emission technique is found to have the capability to determine optical properties and/or spectral emissivities of specimens over a wide range of wavelengths with quite simple instruments.

Nordine, Paul C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Measurements of Temperature and Enthalpy in NASA Ames 60-MW Arcjet using Atomic Oxygen and Atomic Nitrogen Absorption

We report on measurements of temperature and enthalpy in the 60-MW Interaction Heating Facility (IHF) Arcjet at the NASA Ames Research Center. These quantities were measured at sub-second temporal resolution using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, employing four Distributed Feedback (DFB) lasers to simultaneously probe the arcjet flow. Optical access was achieved through a specially-designed optical disk mounted in series with the modules of the arc heater in the add-air plenum of the column, which is positioned between the downstream electrodes and the nozzle. Gas at this measurement location serves as the reservoir condition for the ensuing supersonic expansion. Conditions in the reservoir are extreme, with temperatures between 5000-8000 K and pressures between 1-9 atm. Absorption from the 5S state of atomic oxygen at 777.2 nm and the 4P state of atomic nitrogen at 868.0 nm, two electronically-excited quantum states, formed the basis of the flow characterization measurements. Fiber-coupled laser light was pitched through the IHF via 1/8" ports in the optical disks, permitting optical access with minimal intrusion to the flow. Data was collected at 3 nominal conditions, a Low condition (1600 A, 2000 V, 0.13 kg/s), a Medium condition (3500 A, 5700 V, 0.61 kg/s), and a High condition (5900 A, 6800 V, 0.84 kg/s). Measurements suggest agreement within 1-2% between excited oxygen and excited nitrogen thermometry, indicating approximate thermal and chemical equilibration of the arcjet reservoir state, a result in keeping with long-standing assumptions of CFD modelling. Spatial gradients are found in the flow due to enthalpy loss to the facility walls, but the measured spatial non-uniformities are consistent with axi-symmetry. Measurements of specific enthalpy in the reservoir are also made utilizing excited oxygen and excited nitrogen absorption under the assumption of chemical equilibration.

Peter M. Finch↗

NASA NTRS1972

Ultrasonic thermometry using pulse techniques.

Ultrasonic pulse techniques have been developed which, when applied to inert gases, provide temperature measurements up to 8000 K. The response time can be less than 1 msec. This is a significant feature in studying shock-heated or combusting gases. Using a momentary contact coupling technique, temperature has been measured inside steel from 300 to 1500 K. Thin-wire sensors have been used above 2000 K in nuclear and industrial applications where conditions preclude the use of thermocouples, resistance devices, or optical pyrometers. At 2500 K, temperature sensitivity of 0.1% is obtained in Re wire sensors 5 cm long by timing five round trips with an electronic instrument that resolves the time interval between selected echoes to 0.1 microsec. Sensors have been operated at rotational speeds over 2000 rpm and in noisy environments. Temperature profiling of up to ten regions using only a single guided path or beam has also been accomplished.

Lynnworth, L. C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Quantitative Radiation Thermometry Using Commercially Available High-Speed Video Cameras

In order to understand the risk posed to astronauts by electric arc-generated particles, high-speed, high-resolution, quantitative thermal imaging was needed. The measurement requirements appeared to be beyond the capabilities of commercial thermal imaging systems, but the particles were known to have a significant amount of emission in the visible spectrum. This led to the use of commercially available, high-speed video cameras as imaging radiometers. Measured particle temperatures were consistent with predictions and other measurement data. The optical temperature measurement method, results, and conclusions are presented, along with recommendations for further work.

Thermal imaging↗