Temperature measurement of laser heated metals in highly oxidizing environment using 2D single-band and spectral pyrometry

Calibration and validation of two temperature measurement techniques both using optical pyrometry, usable in the framework of the study of the heated metals in highly oxidizing environments and more generally during laser processing of materials in the range of 2000–4000 K have been done. The 2D single-band pyrometry technique using a fast camera provides 2D temperature measurement, whereas spectral pyrometry uses a spectrometer analyzing the spectra emitted by a spot on the observed surface, with uncertainties calculated to be, respectively, within ±3% and 6% of the temperature. Both techniques have been used simultaneously for temperature measurement of laser heated V, Nb, Ta, and W rods under argon and to measure the temperature of steel and iron rods during combustion under oxygen. Results obtained with both techniques are very similar and within the error bars of each other when emissivity remains constant. Moreover, spectral pyrometry has proved to be able to provide correct measurement of temperature, even with unexpected variations of the emissivity during the observed process, and to give a relevant value of this emissivity. A validation of a comsol numerical model of the heating cycle of W, Ta, Nb, V rods has been obtained by comparison with the measurement.