Miniature Modular Sensor for Chemical Species Tomography with Enhanced Spatial Resolution

The introduction of low/zero-carbon fuels in gas turbine engines poses challenges to the stability and efficiency of combustion processes. As a result, there is a growing demand for advanced imaging techniques that can provide enhanced spatial resolution to monitor and analyze the physiochemical parameters involved. Chemical Species Tomography (CST), utilizing multiple line-of-sight Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (LAS) measurements, has gained popularity in industrial applications due to its non-intrusive nature, robustness, and high sensitivity. Typically, existing CST sensors have few centimeters beam spacing and are highly customized for specific applications. Therefore, the limited beam spacing, and lack of generality pose challenges in terms of providing sufficient sampling and adaptability for wider application scenarios. To enhance the spatial resolution as well as improve the reconfiguration of the CST sensors, this paper proposes a miniature modular CST sensor with a 1cm beam spacing. The use of off-the-shelf components significantly reduces the cost of the system, making it more practical for industrial implementation. Experimental evaluation of the prototype sensor has been conducted for measurements of temperature and water vapor concentration. The results show consistent and accurate measurements, indicating good reliability of the sensor. The proposed miniature modular sensor offers increased flexibility and adaptability to the various CST systems, paving the way for its commercialization in industrial settings.