High Bandwidth Optical Sensor for Time Resolved Detection of Multiple Species Related to Explosives and Detonations

This work advances the state-of-the-art in high-speed diagnostics for the characterization of fireballs, hot gases, and aerosols released by explosives detonation.The proposed advancement is the development of an integrated optical sensor suite, selected from technologies which are already in development in the portfolio of the proposers.During Phase I, the proposers demonstrated the combined LIBS and shadowgraphy imaging techniques to measure highly spatiotemporally-resolved flow field and chemical species during fireball explosion. Based on the discussions with DTRA, Spectral Energies proposes to develop a versatile hyperspectral sensor system capable of performing in situ temperature and concentration measurements of PO2, HOPO, CH4, C2H2, and H2O at speeds in excess of 100 kHz for gas temperatures of up to 2500 K.It proposes to build and deliver a compact dedicated sensor system combined with robust optical access tools for measuring temperature and species concentrations at speeds of at least 100 kHz using laser absorption spectroscopy in the mid-infrared and to employ that sensor in detonation-based measurements.The proposed sensor is not only applicable to DTRAs research goals but also have utility in evaluating rocket motor performance and in extremely high rate combustion processes.