Devices for Fuel-Spray Characterization, Including Soot Formation

Capability Title	Devices for fuel-spray characterization, including soot formation
Laboratories	Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
Capability experts	Lyle Pickett (SNL), Josh Pihl (ORNL), Chris Powell (ANL), Jim Szybist (ORNL)
Description	Co-Optima researchers have access to capabilities to study fuel effects on spray development for DI fuel injectors. These enable a range of diagnostics related to fuel-spray dynamics, fuel-jet autoignition, combustion and soot formation, and how these processes are affected by the fuel. Capabilities include: Constant pressure and constant flow vessels with extensive optical access. X-ray imaging capabilities of spray development offers unique insights for measurements of fuel effects on in-nozzle and near-nozzle spray development. Co-Optima researchers have access to a spray chamber designed for neutron diagnostics. Neutrons have the unique ability to easily penetrate most materials while also strongly interacting with certain isotopes like 1H, meaning that neutrons can see hydrocarbons through metal with high contrast. Metals have drastically different thermal properties than optically-transparent substrates, which can have a significant impact on film deposition and evolution. This all-aluminum spray chamber has been purpose built to enable quantitative spatiotemporal measurement of spray/wall interactions and film evolution with high-speed neutron imaging.
Limitations	[Need something here on the limitations for samples and/or availability for X-ray imaging]
Unique aspects	Optical access and X-ray imaging are [unique or only available here or …]
Availability	The availability of each capability is variable; with planning, most new experiments can be accommodated.
Citations/references	Sandia National Laboratories: https://tours.sandia.gov/CRF/ https://crf.sandia.gov/combustion-research-facility/engine-combustion/fuels/ https://ecn.sandia.gov/ https://ecn.sandia.gov/diesel-spray-combustion/sandia-cv/