Fibre Laser Imaging For Gas Turbine Exhaust Species (FLITES)

We propose to establish a world-leading capability in the measurement and imaging of molecular and particulate species in gas turbine aero-engine exhausts. This will underpin a sustainable aviation industry with reduced net CO2 emissions and enable investigation of the utility of emissions data to diagnose engine condition, and to penetrate the complex phenomena that dictate the performance and limitations of advanced gas turbines. Moreover, it will enable critical assessment of the performance of novel fuels. As well as advancing fundamental engineering, it will enable the UK aviation and fuel industries to achieve a competitive edge in product testing and certification and will pave the way for a large database of emissions measurements that can be correlated with engine condition, offering the prospect of routine engine health monitoring in ground-based tests.

1. A validated instrumentation system and measurement procedure for determining path integrated chemical species (CO2 and NO) concentration and temperature along a single laser beam path across the exhaust plume of a gas turbine (aero) engine.
2. Construction, demonstration and validation, using phantoms, of a 126 beam tomographic system [each as in 1. above] to realise transverse (cross-section) images of chemical species concentration (CO2) in gas flows.