A Novel Apparatus for Simultaneous Laser-Light-Sheet Optical Particle Counting and Video Recording in the Same Measurement Chamber at High Temperature

Abstract

A novel apparatus was developed, to investigate the detachment of particle structures consisting of soot and ash from a single fibre or a fibre array in hot gas flow. Key features of the novel apparatus are operation at high temperatures while two different measurement techniques are applied simultaneously in the same measurement chamber to observe particle structure detachment from a loaded fibre array. A heated inlet can heat the air stream at the position of the fibre array up to 470 °C, allowing detachment investigations at temperatures relevant for the operation of, e.g., soot particle filters. The first measurement technique integrated in the setup is video recording of the fibre array, which gives qualitative information on the rearrangement or detachment of particulate matter on the fibre. Because it is often difficult to distinguish rearrangement and detachment from pure visual observations, a second measurement technique is applied. This technique is a laser-light-sheet optical particle counter, which can detect detached particle structures and determine their size. The measurable size range is 257 to 1523 µm for glass spheres. This paper presents and discusses the novel apparatus, its calibration and first detachment measurement results.

Experimental Detection of Particle Structures Detachment from a Stretchable Single Fiber during Multiple Consecutive Stretching Cycles

“…Number based distribution (e.g., Q 0 ; q 0 ) was calculated assuming a uniform shape of detached particle structures. The calibration results in a function between photomultiplier signal (electrical signal captured with the digital oscilloscope) to projected structure size which is equivalent to scattered light as shown in Zoller et al [36].…”