Direct comparison of two-dimensional and three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence measurements on highly turbulent flames.

This Letter reports the first direct comparison between two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) applied to highly turbulent flames, with the goal of experimentally illustrating the capabilities and limitations of volumetric LIF (VLIF). To accomplish these goals, planar LIF (PLIF) and VLIF measurements were simultaneously performed on turbulent flames based on the CH radical. The PLIF measurements imaged a planar cross-section of the target flames across a 2D field-of-view (FOV) of 42  mm×42  mm. The VLIF measurements imaged the same region in the target flame with a 3D FOV of 42  mm×42  mm×5  mm, with 5 mm being the thickness of the measurement volume. The VLIF signals generated in this volume were captured by five intensified cameras from different perspectives, based on which a 3D tomographic reconstruction was performed to obtain the 3D reconstruction of the CH radical (as a marker of the flame front). The PLIF measurements were then compared to a cross-section of the VLIF measurement to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of instantaneous 3D imaging of flame topography and flame surface area in highly turbulent flames.