Temperature measurements on droplets in monodisperse stream using laser-induced fluorescence

This paper presents a novel technique based on laser-induced fluorescence in liquids, allowing the temperature of 200-mum diameter monodisperse droplets to be measured. The droplets are seeded with an organic dye (rhodamine B), and the temperature dependence of the fluorescence quantum yield is used to determine temperature. The use of LDA optics and a single argon laser source allows to obtain an additional simultaneous velocity measurement. The method appears particularly interesting for the validation of numerical models of evaporating and combusting droplets in the field of design of the combustion chambers of aeronautical and automotive engines, where fuel is injected in droplet form. The measurement technique and data processing are extensively described in the paper. The method is demonstrated on a heated monodisperse droplet stream: the temperature and velocity distribution along the jet were determined.