Numerical Simulation of Laser-Induced Fluorescence Imaging in Shock-Layer Flows

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images of nitric oxide (NO) in hypersonic flow over a wedge and a hemisphere are compared with a theoretical PLIF model. The theoretical PLIF images are based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models including a perfect-gas model and a nonequilibrium chemistry model. Two dimensional maps of the flow parameters generated by the CFD are used to predict the theoretical PLIF images, including the effects of collisional quenching. We find good agreement between the model and the experimental measurements. We explain how this method of computational flow imaging (CFI) can be useful for designing experiments.