- Author
- Reif, I.
- Title
- Spectroscopic Temperature Measurements of Flames and Their Physical Significance.
- Coporate
- Iowa State Univ., Ames
- Sponsor
- Atomic Energy Commission, Washington,DC
- Report
- Thesis, February 1971, 86 p.
- Contract
- W-7405-ENG-82
- Keywords
- flame temperature | spectroscopy | temperature measurements | thermal equilibrium | flame models | temperature field
- Identifiers
- thermodynamic equilibrium; line reversal method; emission-absorption method; slope method; two line method; existence of isothermal temperature fields in some flames; present state of knowledge of Fe atomic transition probabilities; experimental determination of accurate relative transition probabilities for Fe
- Abstract
- A critical examination of the theoretical basis of spectroscopic temperature measurements of non-isothermal non-homogeneous flames by the line reversal, emission-absorption, slope and two-line methods, when self-absorption effects are negligible, has clearly shown that the results will depend on: (a) the measurement method employed; (b) the energy of the quantum states involved in the line producing transition(s); (c) the particular temperature gradient prevailing in the flame; and (d) the concentration distribution of the thermometric species. It is also show that these temperature measurements do not represent either the average or weighted average flame temperature. Rather, the temperatures measured are shown to be a function of a parameter [T dot subscript (E)] to the average value of the function e-E/kT(x) over the optical path. Computer calculations are presented to illustrate errors of several hundred degrees Kelvin which may be made by assuming that the measured temperature is the average temperature.