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James R Gord

Publications and source records attributed to James R Gord.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Measurement of nitric oxide concentrations in flames by using electronic-resonance-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering.

We have measured nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in flames by using electronic-resonance-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (ERE-CARS). Visible pump and Stokes beams were tuned to a Q-branch vibrational Raman resonance of NO. A UV probe beam was tuned into resonance with specific rotational transitions in the (v"=1,v'=0) vibrational band in the A(2)Sigma(+)-X(2)Pi electronic transition, thus providing a substantial electronic-resonance enhancement of the resulting CARS signal. NO concentrations were measured at levels down to 50 parts in 10(6) in H(2)/air flames at atmospheric pressure. NO was also detected in heavily sooting C(2)H(2)/air flames at atmospheric pressure with minimal background interference.

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Velocity imaging for the liquid-gas interface in the near field of an atomizing spray: proof of concept.

We describe adaptation of ballistic imaging for the liquid core of an atomizing spray. To describe unambiguously the forces that act to break apart the liquid core in a spray, one must directly measure the force vectors themselves. It would be invaluable, therefore, to obtain velocity and acceleration data at the liquid-gas interface. We employ double-image ballistic imaging to extract velocity information through the application of image analysis algorithms. This method is shown to be effective for liquid phase droplet features within the resolution limit of the imaging system. In light of these results, it is clear that a three- or four-image implementation of this technique would allow the determination of acceleration, and by extension, information about the forces active in spray breakup.

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Water-vapor detection using asynchronous THz sampling.

The use of a fiber-coupled terahertz (THz) transmitter/receiver pair for spectroscopic detection of water vapor is investigated. Transmission signals of an alumina cylinder demonstrate that the measurement approach can be applied in a windowless ceramic combustor. First, a conventional commercial transmitter/receiver pair is used to make measurements for frequencies to 1.25 THz. Water-vapor absorption is clearly evident within the alumina transparency window and is readily modeled using existing databases. A variety of data-acquisition schemes is possible using THz instrumentation. To assess signal-collection techniques, a prototype THz transmitter/receiver pair is then used with the asynchronous optical-sampling (ASOPS) technique to obtain asynchronous THz-sampling signals to 1 THz without the need for an optomechanical delay line. Two mode-locked Ti:sapphire lasers operating at slightly different repetition rates are used for pumping the transmitter and receiver independently to permit a complete time-domain THz signal to be recorded. The resulting repetitive phase walkout is demonstrated by collecting power spectra of room air that exhibit water-vapor absorption.

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Broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy of nitrogen using a picosecond modeless dye laser.

Broadband picosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy of nitrogen is demonstrated using 145-ps pump and probe beams and a 115-ps Stokes beam with a spectral bandwidth of 5 nm. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of broadband CARS using subnanosecond lasers. The short temporal envelope of the laser pulses and the broadband spectral nature of the Stokes beam will enable nonresonant-background-free, single-shot, or time-dependent spectroscopy in high-pressure or hydrocarbon-rich environments. Successful correlation of room-temperature broadband picosecond N2 CARS with a theoretical spectrum is presented.

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10 kHz detection of CO2 at 4.5 microm by using tunable diode-laser-based difference-frequency generation.

A compact, high-speed tunable, diode-laser-based mid-infrared (MIR) laser source has been developed for absorption spectroscopy of CO2 at rates up to 10 kHz. Radiation at 4.5 microm with a mode-hop-free tuning range of 80 GHz is generated by difference-frequency mixing the 860 nm output of a distributed-feedback diode laser with the 1064 nm output of a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. MIR absorption spectroscopy of CO2 with a detection limit of 44 ppm m at 10 kHz is demonstrated in a C2H4-air laminar diffusion flame and in the exhaust of a liquid-fueled model gas-turbine combustor.

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Ballistic imaging of the liquid core for a steady jet in crossflow.

A time-gated ballistic imaging instrument is used to obtain high-spatial-resolution, single-shot images of the liquid core in a water spray issuing into a gaseous crossflow. We describe further development of the diagnostic technique to improve spatial resolution and present images and statistics for various jets under crossflow experimental conditions (different Weber numbers). Series of these images reveal a near-nozzle flow field undergoing breakup and subsequent droplet formation by stripping. One can also detect signatures of spatially periodic behavior in the liquid core and formation of small voids during breakup.

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Measurements of OH mole fraction and temperature up to 20 kHz by using a diode-laser-based UV absorption sensor.

Diode-laser-based sum-frequency generation of ultraviolet (UV) radiation at 313.5 nm was utilized for high-speed absorption measurements of OH mole fraction and temperature at rates up to 20 kHz. Sensor performance was characterized over a wide range of operating conditions in a 25.4 mm path-length, steady, C2H4-air diffusion flame through comparisons with coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS), planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), and a two-dimensional numerical simulation with detailed chemical kinetics. Experimental uncertainties of 5% and 11% were achieved for measured temperatures and OH mole fractions, respectively, with standard deviations of < 3% at 20 kHz and an OH detection limit of < 1 part per million in a 1 m path length. After validation in a steady flame, high-speed diode-laser-based measurements of OH mole fraction and temperature were demonstrated for the first time in the unsteady exhaust of a liquid-fueled, swirl-stabilized combustor. Typical agreement of approximately 5% was achieved with CARS temperature measurements at various fuel/air ratios, and sensor precision was sufficient to capture oscillations of temperature and OH mole fraction for potential use with multiparameter control strategies in combustors of practical interest.

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Diode-laser-based ultraviolet-absorption sensor for high-speed detection of the hydroxyl radical.

A new diode-laser-based UV-absorption sensor for high-speed detection of the hydroxyl radical (OH) is described. The sensor is based on sum-frequency generation of UV radiation at 313.5 nm by mixing the output of a 763-nm distributed-feedback diode laser with that of a 532-nm high-power, diode-pumped, frequency-doubled Nd:YVO4 laser in a beta-barium borate crystal. Approximately 25 microW of UV radiation is generated and used to probe rotational transitions in the A2 Sigma+ -X2II (v' = 0, v" = 0) electronic transition of OH. Single-sweep, single-pass measurements of temperature and OH concentration in a stoichiometric C2H4-air flame are demonstrated at rates up to 20 kHz.

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Combustion exhaust measurements of nitric oxide with an ultraviolet diode-laser-based absorption sensor.

A diode-laser-based sensor has been developed for ultraviolet absorption measurements of the nitric oxide (NO) molecule. The sensor is based on the sum-frequency mixing (SFM) of the output of a tunable, 395-nm external-cavity diode laser and a 532-nm diode-pumped, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser in a beta-barium borate crystal. The SFM process generates 325 +/- 75 nW of ultraviolet radiation at 226.8 nm, corresponding to the (v' = 0, v" = 0) band of the A2Sigma+-chi2II electronic transition of NO. Results from initial laboratory experiments in a gas cell are briefly discussed, followed by results from field demonstrations of the sensor for measurements in the exhaust streams of a gas turbine engine and a well-stirred reactor. It is demonstrated that the sensor is capable of fully resolving the absorption spectrum and accurately measuring the NO concentration in actual combustion environments. Absorption is clearly visible in the gas turbine exhaust even for the lowest concentrations of 9 parts per million (ppm) for idle conditions and for a path length of 0.51 m. The sensitivity of the current system is estimated at 0.23%, which corresponds to a detection limit of 0.8 ppm in 1 m for 1000 K gas. The estimated uncertainty in the absolute concentrations that we obtained using the sensor is 10%.

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Kinetic behavior of polymer-coated long-period-grating fiber-optic sensors.

A new method of analysis employing the time-dependent response of long-period-grating (LPG) fiber-optic sensors is introduced. The current kinetic approach allows analysis of the time-dependent wavelength shift of the sensor, in contrast to previous studies, in which the LPG sensing element has been operated in an equilibrium mode and modeled with Langmuir adsorption behavior. A detailed kinetic model presented is based on diffusion of the analyte through the outer protective membrane coating into the affinity coating, which is bound to the fiber cladding. A simpler phenomenological approach presented is based on measurement of the slope of the time-dependent response of the LPG sensor. We demonstrate the principles of the kinetic methods by employing a commercial Cu+2 sensor with a carboxymethylcellulose sensing element. The detailed mathematical model fits the time-dependent behavior well and provides a means of calibrating the concentration-dependent time response. In the current approach, copper concentrations below parts per 10(6) are reliably analyzed. The kinetic model allows early-time measurement for low concentrations of the analyte, where equilibration times are long. This kinetic model should be generally applicable to other affinity-coated LPG fiber-optic sensors.

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Simultaneous planar laser-induced incandescence, OH planar laser-induced fluorescence, and droplet Mie scattering in swirl-stabilized spray flames.

Simultaneous planar laser-induced incandescence, hydroxyl radical planar laser-induced fluorescence, and droplet Mie scattering are used to study the instantaneous flame structure and soot formation process in an atmospheric pressure, swirl-stabilized, liquid-fueled, model gas-turbine combustor. Optimal excitation and detection schemes to maximize single-shot signals and avoid interferences from soot-laden flame emission are discussed. The data indicate that rich pockets of premixed fuel and air along the interface between the spray flame and the recirculation zone serve as primary sites for soot inception. Intermittent large-scale structures and local equivalence ratio are also found to play an important role in soot formation.

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Nonperturbative modeling of two-photon absorption in a three-state system.

The physics of the two-photon absorption process is investigated for a three-state system. The density-matrix equations for the two-photon interaction are solved in the steady-state limit assuming that the pump laser radiation is monochromatic. Collisional broadening, saturation, and Stark shifting of the two-photon resonance are investigated in detail by numerical solution of the steady-state density-matrix equations. Analytical expressions for the saturation intensity and the Stark shift are derived for the case where the single-photon transitions between the intermediate state and the initial and final states are far from resonance with the pump laser. For this case, it is found that the direction of the Stark shift is dependent on the relative magnitudes of the dipole-moment matrix elements for the single-photon transitions that couple the intermediate state with the initial and final states. Saturation and Stark shifting are also investigated for the case where the single-photon transitions between the intermediate state and the initial and final states are close to resonance with the pump laser.

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Dual-pump dual-broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering in reacting flows.

A dual-pump, dual-broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering system for simultaneous measurements of temperature and concentrations of N2, O2, and CO2 in reacting flows is demonstrated. In this system pure rotational transitions of N2-O2 and rovibrational transitions of N2-CO2 are probed simultaneously with two narrowband pump beams, a broadband pump beam, and a broadband Stokes beam. The main advantage of this technique is that it permits accurate temperature measurements at both low and high temperatures as well as concentration measurements of three molecules.

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Vortex-induced flame extinction in two-phase counterflow diffusion flames with CH planar laser-induced fluorescence and particle-image velocimetry.

Here the interaction between a laminar two-phase, non-pre-mixed counterflow flame and a vortex is examined. Special emphasis is given to the influence of different flame and vortex parameters on the extinction behavior of the flame. Simultaneous planar laser-induced fluorescence of the CH radical layer produced by the flame and particle-image velocimetry measurements of the flowfield are used to characterize the flame-vortex interaction. These simultaneous diagnostics are used for the first time in this configuration. The extinction processes occurring during the flame-vortex interaction can be analyzed by this method, especially the influence of strain at the flame surface. The influence of the droplets on the extinction behavior appears clearly compared with a fully gaseous flame. The spray flame is weaker and extinguishes earlier than does a gaseous flame. In the measurements an additional broadband signal in the vicinity of the CH layer is probably due to the induced fluorescence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, excited at the same wavelength.

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Analysis of transient-grating signals for reacting-flow applications.

Single-shot transient-grating measurements for thermometry in pressurized reacting flows are examined in the context of rapid digital signal processing. Simple approaches are discussed for temperature determination and rejection of unwanted signals in real-time measurement applications. Examples of temperature data in pressurized postflame gases are presented in the form of probability-density functions (PDFs). Three contributions to the PDF half-widths are discussed. Analysis of phase-matching requirements indicates that beam steering as a result of density fluctuations affects the signal amplitude but not the grating period. Therefore, such stochastic beam deviations have little effect on the derived temperatures. Mode noise on the cw probe beam as well as linear light scattering are found to be insignificant in the frequency range of the observed transient-grating acoustic signature. Use of a single-mode laser for the pump beams is shown to enhance the signal intensity.

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