A two-wavelength imaging pyrometer for measuring particle temperature, velocity and size in thermal spray processes

An imaging pyrometer has been developed to measure the surface temperature of hot metal objects and to measure particle temperature, velocity and size in thermal spray, spray-fonning and atomization processes. The two-wavelength surface imaging pyrometer provides true temperature measurement with high resolution, even when the surface has emissivity variation caused by roughness or oxidation. The surface imaging pyrometer has been calibrated for use in a material processing lab calibration over the range of 1000 to 3000 deg K, and these results are described. The particle imaging pyrometer has a field of view that spans the entire particle stream in typical thermal spray devices, and provides continuous measurement of the entire particle stream. Particle temperature and velocity are critical parameters for producing high quality spray coatings efficiently and reliably. The software locates the particle streaks in the image, and determines the intensity ratio for each particle streak pair to obtain the temperature. The dimensions of the particle streak image are measured to determine the velocity and size. Because the vision-based sensor samples the entire particle stream in every video frame, the particle temperature, velocity and size data are updated at 30 Hz at all points in the particle stream. Particle measurements in a plasma spray at NIST are described. In this paper, we will describe our experiments with ceramic powders, in which measurements have been made at several positions along the particle stream. The particle data are represented as profiles across the particle stream, histograms of the full particle stream or time histories of the full-stream average. The results are compared and calibrated with other temperature and diagnostic measurement systems. (author)