Purdue News PhotosPurdue News Photos
9/97-- Jay Gore, Purdue professor of mechanical engineering (foreground), and his doctoral student Xian-Chua Zhou use a sophisticated laser technique called particle imaging velocimetry to investigate how air flows into a fire. These data are being used to better estimate how much carbon monoxide and other toxic products are emitted from a fire, information that could affect building ventilation codes and help firefighters better estimate how much of the poisonous gases are present in areas such as corridors. To measure the velocity of the air flow into the flame, the researchers artificially seed a special flame chamber with particles. When a flame is lit, the particles travel with the air into the flame. A laser, pulsing once every 150 microseconds, shines on the flame and reflects off the particles and into a camera, which records an image of the particles with each pulse. By carefully measuring the tiny distance a particle moves between laser pulses, the researchers can determine the velocity of the particle, and hence the speed of the air flow.
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(Purdue News Service Photos by Vincent Walter.)
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