Temperature-corrected pressure-sensitive paint measurements using a single camera and a dual-lifetime approach

The temperature dependence of luminescent coatings which measure surface pressure is a well established problem. Temperature correction of the surface pressure measurement is often carried out by incorporating a second luminescent coating or by co-immobilizing a second luminophore to provide a surface temperature profile. This usually complicates the measurement process by requiring a second camera or sophisticated filtering to distinguish between the two luminescent processes. Here, a single-camera, temperature-corrected PSP (pressure-sensitive paint) system was developed. A new oxygen-permeable sol–gel-based paint, containing both a temperature- and a pressure-sensitive luminophore is described. The fluorescence decay times of the two luminophores are separated by several orders of magnitude. This allows pressure- and temperature-dependent luminescent decay measurements to be separated in the time domain. In addition, the two luminophores were selected such that their absorption and emission spectra occur in similar spectral regions. This avoids the need for different excitation sources or detection filters. Hence a single camera with a gated image intensifier can be used to measure the lifetime of each luminophore within the same cycle. Image alignment issues experienced in dual-camera systems are also avoided. This new PSP has the potential to provide a temperature-corrected surface pressure profile using a single excitation source and detection system.