This thesis explores the effects of operating parameters on the location and shape of lifted flames in a Low Swirl Burner (LSB). In addition, it details the development and analysis of a CH PLIF imaging system for visualizing flames in lean combustion systems. The LSB is studied at atmospheric pressure using LDV and CH PLIF. CH* chemiluminescence is used for high pressure flame imaging. A four-level model of the fluorescing CH system is developed to predict the signal intensity in hydrocarbon flames. Results from imaging an atmospheric pressure laminar flame are used to validate the behavior of the signal intensity as predicted by the model. The results show that the fluorescence signal is greatly reduced at high pressure due to the decreased number of CH molecules and the increased collisional quenching rate. This restricts the use of this technique to increasingly narrow equivalence ratio ranges at high pressures. The limitation is somewhat alleviated by increasing the preheat temperature of the reactant mixture. The signal levels from high hydrogen-content syngas mixtures doped with methane are found to be high enough to make CH PLIF a feasible diagnostic to study such flames. Finally, the model predicts that signal levels are unlikely to be significantly affected by the presence of strain in the flow field, as long as the flames are not close to extinction. The results from the LSB flame investigation reveal that combustor provides reasonably robust flame stabilization at low and moderate values of combustor pressure and reference velocities. However, at very high velocities and pressures, the balance between the reactant velocity and the turbulent flame speed shifts in favor of the former resulting in the flame moving downstream. The extent of this movement is small, but indicates a tendency towards blow off at higher pressures and velocities that may be encountered in real world gas turbine applications. There is an increased tendency of relatively fuel-rich flames to behave like attached flames at high pressure. These results raise interesting questions about turbulent combustion at high pressure as well as provide usable data to gas turbine combustor designers by highlighting potential problems.

Dans le cadre du projet de réacteur nucléaire à neutrons rapides et caloporteur sodium baptisé ASTRID, le CEA cherche à développer des techniques d'analyse innovantes afin de surveiller la pureté chimique du sodium liquide. L'objectif est de détecter des situations incidentelles telles que les ruptures de gaine, les fuites dans le générateur de vapeur ou dans les pompes du circuit primaire, et la corrosion accélérée, qui entraînent la contamination du caloporteur par certains éléments. Les techniques d'analyse élémentaire basées sur l'ablation laser et la spectroscopie d'émission sont particulièrement adaptées à cette problématique, car elles permettent de réaliser des mesures directes et à distance de tout type d'échantillons. Parmi elles, la spectroscopie sur plasma induit par laser (LIBS) et l'ablation laser couplée à la fluorescence induite par laser (LA-LIF) ont été sélectionnées pour cette étude. L'objectif de cette thèse est la détermination de la sensibilité de ces deux techniques pour la détection d'impuretés dans le sodium liquide. Les limites de détection de la LIBS et de la LA-LIF sont calculées pour des analytes modèles à partir du tracé de droites d'étalonnage. Elles sont respectivement de l'ordre de la ppm massique et de l'ordre de la centaine de ppb massiques. Ces résultats sont ensuite extrapolés théoriquement aux autres analytes d'intérêt. Les résultats montrent la faisabilité de la détection et du suivi des concentrations des produits de corrosion des aciers dans le sodium liquide. Cependant, la LIBS est plus robuste et plus simple de mise en oeuvre et serait par conséquent mieux adaptée à une implantation en centrale nucléaire.

This dissertation presents a series of laboratory experiments to study flow and mixing properties of multiphase plumes. The particle image velocimetry (PIV) and laserinduced fluorescence (LIF) techniques are developed to measure two-dimensional velocity and concentration fields of multiphase plumes. The developed measurement techniques are applied to bubble plumes in different ambient conditions. The problems and errors in the two-phase PIV application to a bubble plume case are addressed through a comparative study between the optical separation method using fluorescent particles and a new phase separation method using vector postprocessing. The study shows that the new algorithm predicts well the instantaneous and time-averaged velocity profiles and has errors comparable to those for image masking techniques. The phase separation method developed in the previous section is applied to study the mean flow characteristics of a bubble plume in quiescent and unstratified condition. The entrainment coefficients representing the mixing properties of a bubble plume are calculated to lie between 0.08 near the plume source and 0.05 in the upper region, and to depend on the non-dimensional quantity us/(B/z)1/3, where us is the bubble slip velocity, B is the initial buoyancy flux, and z is the height from the diffuser. Further, the LIF technique is investigated to measure the scalar concentration field around a bubble plume in quiescent, unstratified condition. This new application to bubble plumes accounts for light scattering by bubbles using an attenuation coef- ficient that is proportional to the local void fraction. Measured scalar concentration fields show similar trend in concentration fluctuation to turbulent plume cases. Finally, the velocity and concentration field measurements using the developed two-phase PIV and LIF methods are applied for a bubble plume in a density-stratified ambient. The turbulent flow characteristics induced by a bubble plume in a stratified ambient water are studied. The plume fluctuation frequency is measured as about 0.1 Hz and compares well to plume wandering frequency measured in unstratified plume cases.

A new technique is developed that uses planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging of sublimated naphthalene to image the transport of ablation products in a hypersonic boundary layer. The primary motivation for this work is to understand scalar transport in hypersonic boundary layers and to develop a database for validation of computational models. The naphthalene is molded into a rectangular insert that is mounted flush with the floor of a Mach 5 wind tunnel. The distribution of naphthalene in the boundary layer is imaged by using PLIF, where the laser excitation is at 266 nm and the fluorescence is collected in the range of 320 to 380 nm. To investigate the use of naphthalene PLIF as a quantitative diagnostic technique, a series of experiments is conducted to determine the linearity of the fluorescence signal with laser fluence, as well as the temperature and pressure dependencies of the signal. The naphthalene fluorescence at 297 K is determined to be linear for laser fluence that is less than about 200 J/m². The temperature dependence of the naphthalene fluorescence signal is found at atmospheric pressure over the temperature range of 297K to 525K. A monotonic increase in the fluorescence is observed with increasing temperature. Naphthalene fluorescence lifetime measurements were also made in pure-air and nitrogen environments at 300 K over the range 1 kPa to 40 kPa. The results in air show the expected Stern-Volmer behavior with decreasing lifetimes at increasing pressure, whereas nitrogen exhibits the opposite trend. Preliminary PLIF images of the sublimated naphthalene are acquired in a Mach 5 turbulent boundary layer. Relatively low signal-to-noise-ratio images were obtained at a stagnation temperature of 345 K, but much higher quality images were obtained at a stagnation temperature of 380 K. The initial results indicate that PLIF of sublimating naphthalene may be an effective tool for studying scalar transport in hypersonic flows. / text

Single molecule studies of enzymes have revealed that nominally identical individual enzyme molecules are functionally heterogeneous. Different individual molecules exhibit different catalytic rates under identical conditions, and individual enzyme molecules show fluctuating rates over broad timescales. The structural basis and the biological sources for such heterogeneity remains poorly understood. Herein, studies are presented of the β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli, using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF), to investigate the sources of catalytic heterogeneity at the single molecule level. Limited proteolysis as a possible source for single molecule heterogeneity, and for the changes in activity of a population of individual molecules over time, was investigated by inducing enzyme expression in two E.coli strains in the presence of a broad spectrum of protease inhibitors. The effect of protease inhibitors was found to be limited. β-Galactosidase was expressed from a lacZ linear template from two different E. coli strains using an in vitro protein expression system to determine if in vitro synthesized enzyme was identical to its in vivo counterpart. In vitro synthesized enzyme was found to be less active than in vivo sources. The differences were attributed to deficient N-terminal methionine removal and the higher rates of translation error associated with in vitro protein synthesis. Single molecule separations revealed that individual molecules of β-galactosidase were electrophoretically distinct, and that the electrophoretic heterogeneity was independent of source of enzyme, method of measurement, or of capillary coating. Electrophoretic modeling indicated that slight variation of hydrodynamic radius is the most likely source of electrophoretic mobility heterogeneity. The extent of single molecule catalytic variation was reduced in a mutant with a hyperaccurate translation phenotype implying that translation error is a source of the heterogeneity. Streptomycin-induced translation error reduced average activity, but did not lead to an increase in catalytic heterogeneity. No relationship between translation error and electrophoretic heterogeneity was observed. A novel CE-LIF assay was developed for the continuous monitoring of the catalytic activity and electrophoretic mobility of individual β-galactosidase molecules. Thermally-induced catalytic fluctuations were observed suggesting that individual enzyme molecules were capable of conformational fluctuations that supported different catalytic rates.

Single molecule studies of enzymes have revealed that nominally identical individual enzyme molecules are functionally heterogeneous. Different individual molecules exhibit different catalytic rates under identical conditions, and individual enzyme molecules show fluctuating rates over broad timescales. The structural basis and the biological sources for such heterogeneity remains poorly understood. Herein, studies are presented of the β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli, using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF), to investigate the sources of catalytic heterogeneity at the single molecule level. Limited proteolysis as a possible source for single molecule heterogeneity, and for the changes in activity of a population of individual molecules over time, was investigated by inducing enzyme expression in two E.coli strains in the presence of a broad spectrum of protease inhibitors. The effect of protease inhibitors was found to be limited. β-Galactosidase was expressed from a lacZ linear template from two different E. coli strains using an in vitro protein expression system to determine if in vitro synthesized enzyme was identical to its in vivo counterpart. In vitro synthesized enzyme was found to be less active than in vivo sources. The differences were attributed to deficient N-terminal methionine removal and the higher rates of translation error associated with in vitro protein synthesis. Single molecule separations revealed that individual molecules of β-galactosidase were electrophoretically distinct, and that the electrophoretic heterogeneity was independent of source of enzyme, method of measurement, or of capillary coating. Electrophoretic modeling indicated that slight variation of hydrodynamic radius is the most likely source of electrophoretic mobility heterogeneity. The extent of single molecule catalytic variation was reduced in a mutant with a hyperaccurate translation phenotype implying that translation error is a source of the heterogeneity. Streptomycin-induced translation error reduced average activity, but did not lead to an increase in catalytic heterogeneity. No relationship between translation error and electrophoretic heterogeneity was observed. A novel CE-LIF assay was developed for the continuous monitoring of the catalytic activity and electrophoretic mobility of individual β-galactosidase molecules. Thermally-induced catalytic fluctuations were observed suggesting that individual enzyme molecules were capable of conformational fluctuations that supported different catalytic rates.

The main focus of the current study was to quantify the chemical signals received by a blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) tracking a source in a laboratory flume. To make a direct linkage between tracking behavior and the odorant concentration signal, we developed a measurement system to quantify the instantaneous concentration field surrounding actively tracking blue crabs. A three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence (3DLIF) system was designed and constructed to measure odorant concentrations around crabs tracking three source types: a continuous release with exit velocity matching the mean local velocity in the flume; a continuous release with a meander created by an upstream cylinder; and a pulsed release switching on and off and with the same mass flow rate as the other two plume types. The meandering and pulsed plumes were introduced to observe the effects of large-scale spatial (meandering) and temporal (pulsed) intermittency on crab tracking. Simultaneous with the chemical concentration measurements, crab position data was recorded for kinematic analysis during post-processing. In addition, concentration measurements were collected for the three plume types without crabs present in order to quantify the statistical characteristics of the plume structure The concentration signals arriving at the antennules and outer chemosensory organs, most notably the legs, were targeted due to the hypotheses that concentration bursts at the antennules mediate upstream movement and that spatial contrast at the leg chemosensors mediates turning. A sampling zone was placed in front of the crab's mouth parts and aligned with the crab carapace orientation to extract odorant bursts at the antennules. The data generally showed an increase in upstream walking speed when high concentration bursts arrive at the antennules location, which agrees with the hypothesis. Measurement of the odorant concentration at the outer chemosensors was less direct and involved placing a box upstream of the crab and sampled earlier in time in order to avoid shadowing interference. Based on the signal at the upstream sampling box, a general bias for turning was observed. Crabs casted transversely in response to the directional bias extracted from the upstream sampling box. A statistical analysis of crab behavioral response to concentrations at the antennules and outer chemosensors can be found in a (future) companion thesis written by Jennifer Page in the School of Biology. Data were also taken for the three plume types in the absence of blue crabs. The continuous plume average statistics displayed Gaussian behavior at nozzle centerline. The meandering plume data conformed to the meandering plume model of Gifford (1959), modified for an induced pseudo-periodic meander. The pulsed plume displayed characteristics intermediate between the cloud dispersion model (Townsend 1951, Chatwin and Sullivan 1979) and the Gaussian dispersion model for a continuous release. For the three plume types, the standard deviation of the concentration fluctuations was greater than the average concentrations, as time records consisted of intermittent high concentrations interspersed with concentrations close to zero.

La limitation des rejets en CO₂ associés aux normes européennes antipollution de plus en plus sévères ont conduit les constructeurs automobiles à innover dans de nouveaux concepts de combustion, dans l’objectif d’augmenter le rendement des moteurs essence conventionnels. La combustion de type Partiellement Prémélangée, communément appelée Gasoline Partially Premixed Combustion (soit GPPC) semble être l’un des possibilités pour répondre à ces problématiques, en particulier s’il était possible d’atteindre un rendement proche des rendements Diesel avec des émissions polluantes plutôt de type moteur à allumage commandé et qui pourraient donc être traitées par systèmes de post-traitement classiques. Cette étude vise, par une approche expérimentale, à comprendre les processus physiques qui permettent d’optimiser ce nouveau mode de combustion, en particulier en termes de préparation du mélange et de déroulement de la combustion proprement dite. La première partie de ce travail a consisté en la détermination de l’impact des différentes conditions thermodynamiques, de la stratégie d’injections et du taux de dilution sur le déroulement de la combustion à partir de données obtenues sur un moteur opaque. Trois modes de dégagements de chaleur très distincts ont été sélectionnés, l’un représentant la configuration optimale en termes de rendement et d’émissions polluantes à partir d’expériences réalisées sur moteur monocylindre à fort taux de compression et avec une chambre typée Diesel. Des techniques de diagnostics optiques ont été mises en place sur un moteur identique mais à accès optiques dans l’objectif d’isoler tout particulièrement l’impact du phasage de la seconde injection sur le déroulement de la combustion. L’étude de la propagation liquide du spray lors de l’injection, de l’interaction entre l’air et le carburant lors du processus de formation du mélange et de la phase d’oxydation du carburant a ainsi pu être réalisée et a permis de valider les hypothèses émises lors des essais sur moteur opaque pour expliquer les processus de combustion et donner des pistes de contrôle de ce type de combustion. / Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other pollutant emission limitations are more and more rigorous. These limits conduct cars manufacturers to study new combustion concept, in order to increase conventional gasoline engine efficiencies. Gasoline Partially premixed combustion concept (GPPC) seems to have the potential to reach these objectives, in other terms an efficiencies comparable to diesel engine by with emissions of gasoline engine, which mean a low cost after-treatment system. This study investigates, by an experimental approach, the physical process responsible on controlling this combustion concept and by the way improves it. This will be done by studying the mixture preparation and the combustion behaviour. The first part of this work concerns on determining the impact of in-cylinder thermodynamic conditions, injection strategy and the dilution rate on combustion behaviour using a single cylinder all metal engine. Three distinctive heat release rates were selected; where one represent the optimized injection phasing in term of efficiencies and pollutant emissions. The second part was dedicated to studying the process involved in GPPC combustion mode by optical diagnostic techniques on single cylinder optical access diesel engine. The impact of second injection phasing, fuel and air interaction and also the fuel combustion process allowed the validation of hypothesis emitted in the first part to explain the combustion behaviour and give ways to control this combustion mode.

Rayleigh-Taylor instability has been an area of active research in fluid dynamics for the last twenty years, but relatively little attention has been paid to the dynamics of problems where Rayleigh-Taylor instability plays a role, but is only one component of a more complex system. Here, Rayleigh-Taylor instability between miscible fluids is examined in situations where it is confined by various means: by geometric restriction, by penetration into a stable linear stratification, and by impingement on a stable density interface. Water-based experiments are modelled using a variety of techniques, ranging from simple hand calculation of energy exchange to full three-dimensional numerical simulation. Since there are well known difficulties in modelling unconfined Rayleigh-Taylor instability, the confined test cases have been sequenced to begin with dynamically simple benchmark systems on which existing modelling approaches perform well, then they progress to more complex systems and explore the limitations of the various models. Some work on the phenomenology of turbulent mixing is also presented, including a new experimental technique that allows mixed fluid to be visualised directly, and an analysis of energy transport and mixing efficiency in variable density flows dominated by mixing.

Capillary electrophoresis laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) is widely used to detect both the presence and concentration of fluorescently labeled biomolecules. In CE-LIF, a plug of sample fluid is electrophoretically driven down a microchannel using a high voltage applied between the opposite ends of the microchannel. Molecules of different sizes and charge states travel at different velocities down the channel. Laser light with a wavelength in the excitation band of the fluorophores is focused near the end of the channel. As each species of molecule passes through the laser spot, the fluorophores emit a fluorescence signal which is measured with an optical detector. Commercial CE-LIF systems are available as a complete, expensive package. Custom CE-LIF systems are a collection of commercially available components that meet the specific needs of the end user. Using the custom system in Dr. Woolley's lab as the standard, we hypothesized that 3D printed parts in conjunction with low-cost components could be used to significantly reduce costs and simplify the system, which in turn would make such systems more widely available with a lower barrier to entry. Testing this hypothesis began with five semesters of small teams of senior undergraduate students trying to design and assemble a low-cost CE-LIF system as part of their mandatory one-semester senior project. I was one of the seniors who worked on the system. Although none of the senior project teams were successful, a partially functioning system was ultimately produced. I reference this system as the starting point system throughout this thesis, which is focused on identifying and solving the system's obstacles in order to reach a working state. I re-designed and re-built each sub-system of the starting point system as needed if within the available budget to create a system that was functional. Budgetary constraints were included in evaluating potential improvements. The end goal was to compare the improved system's performance with that of an expensive conventional system (hereinafter referred to as the standard system) available in Dr. Adam Woolley's laboratory on the Brigham Young University campus. The ultimate conclusion of my masters' thesis work is that a low-cost CE-LIF system based on 3D printed and low-cost components results in a system that does not offer repeatable performance. In the course of my work, many lessons were learned as to what would reduce overall system costs while maintaining a user-friendly experience. My analysis is given on a subsystem basis to explain what limited the ability of the system to run consistently or what caused it to fail altogether. Details and methodology of my contributions including circuits designed, code written, components used, and 3D models printed in order to test the hypothesis are documented. Attribution of the work prior to mine is laid out when each subsystem is broken down in detail for the failure modes that prevented consistent operation. Future work is suggested to correct the problems encountered and provide a path forward to implement a next-generation system that can be achieved at a lower cost compared to a conventional system, and yet which does not suffer from the performance problems associated with the version explored in this thesis in which maximum cost reduction was aggressively pursued.