Combustion Science and Technology, Vol.172, 97-107, 2001
AlO vibrational temperature measurements from burning aluminum particles at elevated pressure
A streak camera is used to obtain time-resolved AlO emission spectra from burning 10 micron aluminum particles in a CO2/Ar mixture at 8.6 atmospheres in a shock tube. Digital spectra are obtained with a temporal resolution of 16 microseconds over the entire 180 microsecond combustion event. These spectra are fit to vibrational temperatures in the range of 4225 to 5900 K, with uncertainties ranging from 500 to 1400 K. The estimated temperatures are in agreement to within experimental uncertainty with the predicted aluminum combustion temperatures under these conditions. The spectra show some evidence of a non-equilibrium vibrational population distribution during peak of the combustion event.