Three-dimensional reconstruction of flame temperature and emissivity distribution using optical tomographic and two-colour pyrometric techniques

This paper presents an experimental investigation, visualization and validation in the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of flame temperature and emissivity distributions by using optical tomographic and two-colour pyrometric techniques. A multi-camera digital imaging system comprising eight optical imaging fibres and two RGB charged-couple device (CCD) cameras are used to acquire two-dimensional (2D) images of the flame simultaneously from eight equiangular directions. A combined logical filtered back-projection (LFBP) and simultaneous iterative reconstruction and algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) algorithm is utilized to reconstruct the grey-level intensity of the flame for the two primary colour (red and green) images. The temperature distribution of the flame is then determined from the ratio of the reconstructed grey-level intensities and the emissivity is estimated from the ratio of the grey level of a primary colour image to that of a blackbody source at the same temperature. The temperature measurement of the system was calibrated using a blackbody furnace as a standard temperature source. Experimental work was undertaken to validate the flame temperature obtained by the imaging system against that obtained using high-precision thermocouples. The difference between the two measurements is found no greater than ±9%. Experimental results obtained on a laboratory-scale propane fired combustion test rig demonstrate that the imaging system and applied technical approach perform well in the reconstruction of the 3D temperature and emissivity distributions of the sooty.