On planar laser-induced fluorescence with multi-component fuel and tracer design for quantitative determination of fuel concentration in internal combustion engines

Abstract

This paper first presents an exposition of the theory relevant to quantitative planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements in an engine, at a level commensurate with the expertise of a specialist engineer. It is intended to provide a grounding in the technique, its theoretical basis, and a source of references. Second, this paper presents the design of a multi-component fuel and fuel tracer set that may be used for quantitative planar laser-induced fluoroscence (PLIF) where time and crank-angle resolved knowledge of the vaporization of different fuel fractions is required. Such a fuel is presented and shown to exceed the specifications of accepted single-component fuel tracers. The fuel distillation characteristics, construction, and key features are discussed in the context of the theory.