Development of high temporally and spatially (three-dimensional) resolved formaldehyde measurements in combustion environments

In the present article a multi-YAG laser cluster and a framing camera have been applied for ultrahigh framing rate and three-dimensional measurements of formaldehyde distribution in flames and engines. The measurement technique utilizes a laser/detection system which has been adopted for the generation of eight laser pulses at 355 nm. By combining these lasers with a framing camera, short movies showing the formaldehyde distributions in combustion phenomena can be recorded, by means of planar laser-induced fluorescence. The technique is successfully demonstrated in a laboratory flame as well as in an engine. In addition to the temporally resolved experiments also three-dimensional measurements are performed by sweeping the eight generated laser sheets across the flame by the use of a fast scanning mirror. By proper triggering of the laser sweep and the detector a three-dimensional image showing the formaldehyde distribution in the flame can be created, which is also demonstrated. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.