Strategies for laser-induced fluorescence detection of nitric oxide in high-pressure flames.: I.: A-X(0,0) excitation

Three different high-pressure flame measurement strategies for NO laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) with A-X(0,0) excitation have been studied previously with computational simulations and experiments in flames up to 15 bars. Interference from 02 LIF is a significant problem in lean flames for NO LIF measurements, and pressure broadening and quenching lead to increased interference with increased pressure. We investigate the NO LIF signal strength, interference by hot molecular oxygen, and temperature dependence of the three previous schemes and for two newly chosen excitation schemes with wavelength-resolved LIF measurements in premixed methane and air flames at pressures between 1 and 60 bars and a range of fuel/air ratios. In slightly lean flames with an equivalence ratio of 0.83 at 60 bars, the contribution of 02 LIT to the NO LIF signal varies between 8% and 29% for the previous schemes. The O-2 interference is best suppressed with excitation at 226.03 nm. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.