Raman Scattering Proof-of-Concept Investigation to Detect Particle Phase in the Propulsion System Lab (PSL) Icing Duct Project

This proposal addresses a proof-of-concept study using Raman Scattering to distinguish both the particle phase and particle temperature in the Propulsion System Lab (PSL) duct prior to the engine face.This would allow the system to be tested in PSL during the next engine icing test in 2QFY14. To determine a percent freeze-out between liquid water and solid ice will add an important dimension to the cloud characterization. This Raman technique might also be able to distinguish the temperature of the particles in PSL. If successful, it could be permanently and non-intrusively mounted in the recently developed "tomography duct" section and add much needed information documenting each ice crystal spray, including frozen shut or frozen open nozzles.

A non-intrusive system that measures droplet/particle phase, temperature and potentially size in near real-time would be revolutionary in test facility instrumentation. These measurements, along with the cloud uniformity tomography system, allow a complete monitoring of the spray parameters that have only been measured during the facility calibration and never at the same time. The traditional calibration measurements would still be needed, but perhaps only to verify this new suite of measurements. This vastly improves quality control which can save a significant amount of run time while producing a verifiable test condition.

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