Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for In-Situ Diagnostics of Combustion Parameters Including Temperature

Tae-Woo Lee* , Nikhil Hegde and Ilsu Han

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ 85287-6106

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is a powerful diagnostic method that can be applied to combustion systems for measurements of fuel-air ratios, fuel composition, and temperature.  In this study, we highlight the application of LIBS for in-situ flame temperature measurements.  Comparisons with alternate methods, thermocouple and Rayleigh scattering, exhibit excellent agreement even in sooting flames.  Thus, LIBS can be applied to combustion and other thermal systems for simultaneous measurements of a number of important thermo-chemical parameters, including temperature.