Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) used to measure velocities in a diffusion flame.
Scientists use advanced lasers and computers at the 50,000 square foot, four-building combustion research facility to study exactly how and why fuels burn. In the laboratory building, special laser systems with beams are distributed to 14 individual laboratories. Each laboratory is served by a minicomputer which is connected to a central data system. In addition to bench-top flame studies, the facility houses several major combustion experiment labs, including five optically ported research engines, a computer-control- led combustion bomb, and low-pressure flame, coal flame, and turbulent flame laboratories. These studies could lead to the design of heat engines and energy systems that burn fuel more efficiently while creating less pollution.
Original public domain image from Flickr