Diode laser-based standoff absorption measurement of water film thickness in retro-reflection

Abstract

A dual-wavelength diode laser-based absorption sensor for standoff point measurements of water film thickness on an opaque surface is presented. The sensor consists of a diode laser source, a foil as backscattering target, and off-axis paraboloids for collecting the fraction of the laser radiation transmitted through the liquid layer via retro-reflection. Laser wavelengths in the near infrared at 1412 and 1353 nm are used where the temperature dependence of the liquid water absorption cross section is known. The lasers are fiber coupled and the detection of the retro-reflected light was accomplished through a multimode fiber and a single photodiode using time-division multiplexing. The water film thickness at a given temperature was determined from measured transmittance ratios at the two laser wavelengths. The sensor concept was first validated with measurement using a temperature-controlled calibration cell providing liquid layers of variable and known thickness between 100 and 1000 µm. Subsequently, the sensor was demonstrated successfully during recording the time-varying thickness of evaporating water films at fixed temperatures. The film thickness was recorded as a function of time at three temperatures down to 50 µm.