Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: ahahma@utu.fi (Arno Hahma)
Subject: Re: Measuring high temps
Message-ID: <CsK24x.J9t@utu.fi>
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 1994 05:34:08 GMT

In article <tip-060794103827@gold.aichem.arizona.edu>,
Tom Perigrin <tip@lead.aichem.arizona.edu> wrote:

>I found myself at a bit of a loss on how one might measure temperatures of
>about 3500 deg.    You can't stick a thermocouple in it...   Pyrotechnics
>mixtures are definately NOT black bodies, so black body radiation won't
>work.   You can't measure heat output, because that measures Cals and not

>Any ideas?

Use spectroscopy. Pyrotechnic mixtures always contain some sodium and
if they don't, add a trace. Then measure the sodium line broadening and
shift and estimate temperature from that. You might also use
any other, well known and distinguishable spectral line.

Another possibility is to measure the relative concentrations of known
species in the flame and then calculate thermodynamically, at which
temperature you get the same ratio for the given mixture.

ArNO
    2