• Dr. Robert Lucht
  • Purdue University
  • 104D Surge Building
  • 4:00 p.m.
  • Faculty Host: Dr. Lin Ma

Over the last several years we have developed high-pressure combustion test rigs with optical access with funding from private industry, NASA, and DOE.  Both aviation gas turbine and power-generating gas turbine test rigs are presently operational.  The design of the window assemblies for the high-pressure, high-temperature conditions encountered is described, along with lessons learned from our early design efforts.  The operation of the facility and the integration of remotely operated laser diagnostic systems with the combustion test rigs are discussed in detail. 

Recent measurements in these combustion facilities are discussed.  The laser diagnostic methods that we have used to investigate high-pressure combusting flow fields include coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and 5 kHz OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging.  These methods were used recently to investigate the injection of natural gas/air jet into a subsonic vitiated crossflow at a pressure of 6 bar.  Dual-pump H2/N2 CARS was used to measure the temperature field and the H2 CARS signal was used to indicate regions of high chemical reactivity.  The same reacting flow field was also investigated using 5 kHz OH PLIF, and 5 kHz PIV measurements will be performed in the near future.  Our recent work on the application of ultrafast laser systems for 5 kHz single-laser-shot CARS measurements will also be discussed.