ABSTRACT
Industrial ames are an outstanding example of complex reacting ows. They involve many physical and chemical magnitudes (velocity, temperature, radiation, chemical species, reaction rates, etc.), usually displaying large spatial and temporal variations. An enormous amount of information is, therefore, necessary to describe a ame in detail. Scientists have developed many diagnostic methods (including intrusive [1] and optical techniques [2]), which have contributed signicantly to the progress of the combustion science. However, their use is still mostly restricted to research studies, with scarce applications for the supervision of practical ames. In general, most industrial combustors use conventional instrumentation, whose capabilities for ame monitoring are notably poor; in many cases, only input ow rates and ue gas composition are measured. There is an obvious need for new monitoring techniques, suitable for industrial use and, preferably, capable of providing direct information on the properties of the ame, which is the core of a combustion process. New developments in this eld might open new possibilities for the supervision of the process
and, ultimately, would greatly facilitate the development of advanced combustion controls.
