Monofiber optical probes for gas detection and gas velocity measurements: conical probes

Optical probes are a very common tool for the investigation of gas-liquid flow dynamics. A single sensitive tip gives access to the phase indicator function, while using two tips some distance apart provides estimates of the gas velocity. Recently, it has been shown that the gas velocity could also be inferred from a monofiber probe provided that its latency length is known. To improve the capabilities of this new technique, an optimisation of the probe geometry, based on optical simulations and controlled piercing experiments, has been undertaken. In this first paper, conical probes (1C) produced using a new manufacturing technique are considered. Although they are effective for simultaneous gas velocity measurements, their actual response is sensitive to small geometrical defects occurring at their tips. Therefore, calibrations on well controlled interfaces appear necessary both to check the presence of pre-signals responsible for incorrect phase detections, and to establish a significant rise-time/velocity correlation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.