MRI: Development of Fiber-Optically Coupled Combustion and Flow Sensor for IC Engines and Other Severe Environments

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Proposal No. CTS-0421505Principal Investigator: P. V. Puzinauskas, Univ. of Alabama TuscaloosaThis grant is to develop fiber-optic-based diagnostics for combustion and fluid dynamics in internal-combustion engines and other industrial machinery. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser-induced incandescence (LII) will be incorporated in a robust fiber-optic probe to allow in situ measurements of species concentrations and particle loading. This combination of diagnostics is expected to provide insight into in-cylinder and post-exhaust-process particulate formation. The central challenge will be to facilitate adequate laser light delivery and signal-light extraction from environmentally harsh, dynamic, and geometrically restricted environments. With this goal in mind, the internal-combustion engine is a natural proof-of-concept platform, although the final product will have application to development of a variety of industrial machines such as gas-turbine engines, stationary industrial burners, fuel cells, and other platforms. Investigators from The University of Alabama (UA) Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and Aerospace departments will be responsible for fiber-optic configuration and engine applications, and will develop the fluorescence probes, while investigators from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) will develop the LIBS and LII diagnostics. The spectroscopic hardware and software will be a collaborative effort, and Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA), Inc. will provide expertise in fiber selection and design and commercialization. This research program will have significant direct benefits to the students at UCSD and UA, as well as investigators at SPA, who often employ student interns from the University of Maryland. The project will support several graduate students and a post-doctoral researcher. Results will be incorporated into the engineering and science curriculum, and disseminated in widely-read peer-examined journals. The resulting optical sensor will provide significant improvement in the instrumentation available for measurements of gas phase composition in harsh environments, which will open new avenues in both education and research. In particular, the proposed instrument is expected to significantly impact the validation of computational fluid mechanics models of IC engines and the development of new ultra-lean burn and homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines.