Argonne National Laboratory Advanced Photon Source

ARL-Argonne APS Imaging

We are collaborating with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to conduct multi-phase measurements of sprays in the ARC-M1 (Army) combustor using the high powered X-ray source at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source. The first of our measurements took place in July of 2017 in the 7-BM-B beamline with Dr. Alan Kastengren of ANL and Dr. Jacob Temme of ARL. X-ray radiography high-speed imaging and focused beam time-resolved measurements were conducted during this campaign. A team of four graduate students (Eric Mayhew, Brendan McGann, Constandinos Mitsingas, and Rajavasanth Rajasegar) participated in the campaign.


Brendan McGann (left) and Eric Mayhew (right) at Argonne APS, July 2017

The dense multi-phase core of practical sprays can be probed with conventional means but its optical thickness makes it problematic for most laser and optical based techniques. The powerful multi-spectral beam of the Argonne APS offers the potential to visualize this process and quantify the key physics. The data obtained from the X-ray radiography at Argonne-APS will validate or modify many of our theories on droplet formation in this critical regime, offering a means to conduct better CFD as well as design the next generation of propulsion systems with improved efficiency and power output.

Focused Beam Frequency Spectra from the 2017 Argonne Campaign