Optical probe for in-situ measurements of air-to-fuel ratio in low emission engines

Rajiv Mongia, Eiji Tomita, Frank Hsu, Lawrence Talbot, Robert Dibble

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The lower temperatures associated with lean premixed combustion generally lead to lower NOX emissions; however, the NOx emissions also depend on how well the air and fuel are mixed. In this paper, we describe the development of an inexpensive fiber optic probe capable of measuring the extent of turbulent mixing. The fuel concentration is determined by laser absorption at 3.39 urn over a short path length created by infrared transmitting fiber optics. We use this probe to show that NOx formation depends significantly on the extent of fuel-air mixing as well as the overall stoichiometry. A hydrogen piloted, QHU in air turbulent flame with a variable fuel injection location is used to vary the degree of mixedness at the burner exit. The level of mixing and the mean concentration profiles are also measured by using Planar Laser Initiated Rayleigh Scattering. Nitrogen oxides measurements are reported for several mixing lengths. We show that at lean conditions, incomplete mixing causes an increase in NOx production because of the unfavorable temperature dependence of NOx formation at Φ = 0.6. We also show that the optical probe is capable of measuring the extent of mixing of the fuel-air mixture.

Original languageEnglish (US)
StatePublished - 1996
Externally publishedYes
Event34th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 1996 - Reno, United States
Duration: Jan 15 1996Jan 18 1996

Other

Other34th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 1996
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityReno
Period01/15/9601/18/96

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 1996, by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Aerospace Engineering

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