Flame soot absorption coefficient and temperature reconstruction through line-of-sight attenuation and light field imaging

Abstract

The accuracy and efficiency of 3-D flame temperature field reconstruction using the light field imaging technique heavily depend on soot radiation characteristics. In this study, we employ the line-of-sight attenuation method to reconstruct the soot absorption coefficient distribution in a pure absorbing flame. Utilizing these soot absorption coefficients, the radiative transfer equation is effectively transformed within the framework of the light field imaging technique into a linear inverse problem and also outlines the flame boundary. This proposed strategy reduces the unwanted detection rays significantly, thus eliminating the extensive computational processing. Consequently, the proposed approach substantially enhances the accuracy and efficiency of flame temperature reconstruction. Numerical simulations were carried out on a bimodal asymmetric flame to validate the noise tolerance capabilities, investigate the effects of varying voxel numbers on flame division and carry out a comparative study. Experimental studies were also conducted to reconstruct flame temperature and soot absorption coefficient distributions under different combustion operating conditions. Thermocouple measurements were performed and compared with the reconstructed temperatures. Outcomes achieved from both numerical simulations and experimental studies demonstrate the feasibility, accuracy and robustness of the proposed method.