Applications

Engines

In the past few years optical diagnostic techniques have become an established development tool in many research laboratories of the automotive industry. They are successfully applied to analyse in-cylinder processes such as flow generation, fuel injection, spray formation, atomization and mixing, ignition, combustion and finally formation and reduction of pollutants incl. soot.
Basically the optical methods are aimed at producing better fuel efficiencies and reducing pollutant emissions. For the development of new engines (Direct Injection, DI-egines, hydrogen and methane fueled engines, downsizing concepts) or in special operation modes (cold start, part load, Exhaust Gas Recirculation, EGR, flexible injections, variable valve timing) LaVision’s laser diagnostic tools allow a much faster and more efficient development and thus save time and money.

Measured engine parameters are:
crank angle resolved air-fuel ratios, combustion species and soot concentration, temperature and multi-phase flow fields. Applications in internal combustion engines

• in-cylinder flow visualzation (tumble & swirl)
• fuel injection and evaporation
• air-fuel mixing (λ-maps)
• visualization of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
• study of ignition processes
• auto-ignition and knock control
• flame front propagation
• in-cylinder temperature measurements
• visualization of pollutant and soot formation

For aerodynamic measurements around car bodies in wind tunnels or inside passenger cars see Applications in Fluid Mechanics.