Multimodal imaging for intra-droplet gas-cavity observation during droplet fragmentation.

Herein, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is used in combination with shadowgraphy to study water-droplet aerobreakup. The acquired shadowgraph data are in agreement with previous visualization studies but differ from the PLIF results, yielding new insights into the fragmentation process. In particular, the PLIF data reveal changes in droplet topology during fragmentation that result from the entrapment or formation of gas cavities inside the liquid phase. In some instances, topological modification can be observed to arise from the presence of these cavities. In addition, the cavities may act as weak spots, facilitating droplet split-off.

Data on eosin Y solutions for laser-induced fluorescence in water flows.

Dye tracing techniques involve the tagging of a sample of water with dye, providing important qualitative and quantitative information. This article presents physical and fluorescence properties of dye solutions obtained by diluting a pharmaceutical aqueous solution of eosin Y with distilled water. Sample solutions with eosin concentrations ranging from 0 to 20 g/L were examined under various temperatures and laser powers. The data include measurements of dynamic viscosity, surface tension and pH. Fluorescence emission spectra as well as laser beam attenuation and photobleaching measurements are also reported. The datasets provide guidelines for obtaining optimal dye mixtures and suitable optical configurations to implement eosin fluorescence techniques.

High-magnification shadowgraphy for the study of drop breakup in a high-speed gas flow.

Direct observation of the droplet breakup process in high-speed gas flows is a critical challenge that needs to be addressed to elucidate the physical mechanisms underlying the fragmentation phenomenon. Here, we present a high-magnification and high-speed shadowgraph technique that allows the visualization of this process over its whole evolution and resolves detailed features of the breakup zone. The developed experimental method uses a high-speed camera equipped with a long-distance microscope. The backlight illumination source is provided by the laser-induced fluorescence of a dye solution that delivers short pulses at a high-repetition rate. Artifacts resulting from the laser coherence are therefore reduced.

Effect of vorticity flip-over on the premixed flame structure: Experimental observation of type-I inflection flames.

Premixed flames propagating in horizontal tubes are observed to take on a convex shape towards the fresh mixture, which is commonly explained as a buoyancy effect. A recent rigorous analysis has shown, on the contrary, that this process is driven by the balance of vorticity generated by a curved flame front with the baroclinic vorticity, and predicted existence of a regime in which the leading edge of the flame front is concave. We report experimental realization of this regime. Our experiments on ethane and n-butane mixtures with air show that flames with an inflection point on the front are regularly produced in lean mixtures, provided that a sufficiently weak ignition is used. The observed flame shape perfectly agrees with that theoretically predicted.

Mode coupling and output beam quality of 100-400 µm core silica fibers.

Propagation and mode coupling within relatively short (∼1-10 m) large core, nominally multimode, fibers are of interest in a number of applications. In this research, we have studied the output beam quality and mode coupling in various fibers with core diameters of 100-400 µm and lengths of 2 m. Output beam quality (M2) and mode-coupling coefficients (D) have been studied for different clad dimensions, numerical apertures, and wavelengths. The mode-coupling coefficients have been determined based on modal power diffusion considerations. The results show that D scales approximately as the inverse square of the clad dimension and inverse square root of the wavelength. Output from a 2 m length fiber of 100 µm core and 660 µm clad fiber is close to single mode (M2=1.6), while output from a 200 µm core and 745 µm clad fiber also has high beam quality.

Stability analysis of confined V-shaped flames in high-velocity streams.

The problem of linear stability of confined V-shaped flames with arbitrary gas expansion is addressed. Using the on-shell description of flame dynamics, a general equation governing propagation of disturbances of an anchored flame is obtained. This equation is solved analytically for V-flames anchored in high-velocity channel streams. It is demonstrated that dynamics of the flame disturbances in this case is controlled by the memory effects associated with vorticity generated by the perturbed flame. The perturbation growth rate spectrum is determined, and explicit analytical expressions for the eigenfunctions are given. It is found that the piecewise linear V structure is unstable for all values of the gas expansion coefficient. Despite the linearity of the basic pattern, however, evolutions of the V-flame disturbances are completely different from those found for freely propagating planar flames or open anchored flames. The obtained results reveal strong influence of the basic flow and the channel walls on the stability properties of confined V-flames.

Nonperturbative approach to the nonlinear dynamics of two-dimensional premixed flames.

The problem of a nonperturbative description of unsteady 2D premixed flames with arbitrary gas expansion is addressed. By considering the flame as a surface of discontinuity with an arbitrary local burning rate and gas velocity jumps, we show that the flame front evolution can be determined without having to solve the flow equations in the bulk. A system of integro-differential equations is obtained, which relates fresh gas velocity at the front and the front position, thus yielding a closed nonperturbative description of the spontaneous flame dynamics.