Agile Optical Methods for Fireball Species and Particle Characterization

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.The sensor suite will include PIV, PLIF, and LIBS instruments in fiber-based configurations ultimately amenable to miniaturization, ruggedization, and stand-off deployment. This ensemble of technologies will enable the collection of temporally- and spatially-resolved chemical species, velocity, and particle size data in the challenging environment of a fireball and subsequent hot gas detonation products. During PHASE I, the sensor suite will be developed and demonstrated with Triethyl phosphate (TEP) simulant in the New Mexico Tech Turbulent Shock Tunnel, which is suitable for the controlled detonation of up to 5 grams of explosive and offers excellent optical access. During PHASE II, using insights gained from the initial TEP experiments, the sensor suite will be optimized for high-speed, fast turn-around data collection and analysis, ruggedized, and integrated for delivery and use in government explosives testing.