Laser Imaging of Turbine Engine Combustion Species (LITECS)

A new laser-based imaging system will track pollutants as they form inside jet engines and power turbines, mapping their creation in real time. Current emissions models rely on limited data from outside the engine or from simplified laboratory flames. Engineers cannot see exactly where and when soot, nitrogen oxides, or unburned hydrocarbons appear inside a running combustor. This project will develop several laser measurement techniques that can penetrate the harsh, high-temperature environment of a gas turbine and record the spatial and temporal evolution of combustion species and particulate emissions. The team will apply these methods to operating engines for the first time. If successful, the measurements will give engineers the data needed to validate and improve computational models of combustion. Better models can then guide the design of cleaner-burning engines and the development of new fuels. The direct impact would be reduced emissions from aviation and power generation—two sectors where efficiency gains translate into significant environmental benefits. This is applied fundamental science: the immediate goal is new measurement capability, but the practical payoff depends on how industry uses the insights to redesign hardware.