Quantitative investigation of soot distribution by laser-induced incandescence

Strategies employed for quantitative measurement by laser-induced incandesc ence are detailed. Data are obtained for several laminar diffusion flames f ormed from blended Diesel fuels of known composition. A tomographic procedu re is developed to scale the two-dimensional data to soot volume fraction a nd to correct for the trapping of signal by the soot field. Scaling is achi eved by use of laser extinction along the measurement plane. The findings a re used in discussions of measurement issues within turbulent environments. Data are augmented with elastic scattering measurements, allowing particle -size and number-density distributions to be inferred. A degree of axial an d radial similarity among various flames suggests that the processes of soo t formation and oxidation occur over similar time scales for each fuel. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 120.1740, 280.2470, 290.5850, 290.2200.