Quantitative diagnostics of a methane/air mini-flame by Raman spectroscopy

We present a quantitative investigation by linear Raman spectroscopy of a methane/air premixed flame from a commercial burner. Rotational temperatures and absolute densities of the major species, N-2, O-2, CH4, CO2, and H2O have been measured in a grid of points across the flame section. Axial and radial profiles of temperature and densities are reported, and mass balances along the flame axis are discussed. We show the capabilities of this technique for combustion studies by using currently available standard detectors and spectrometers. Copyright (C) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.