LIF vs. Chemiluminescence measurements for flame front studies

LIF (Laser-Induced Fluorescence) imaging of hydroxide (OH) is a widely employed technique for flame front studies in reacting flows. This technique covers application areas from laboratory burners to truck-sized internal combustion engines and gas turbine combustors. Fluorescence is produced by the excitation of OH in the flame by a Nd:YAG pumped dye laser. Unlike LIF, chemiluminescence imaging is a simpler technique which uses chemical excitation instead of laser light. The camera records the light emitted from the chemically excited OH, denoted OH*.

The present study is a comparison between these two techniques applied in a small, slightly turbulent atmospheric flame.