Applicability of the Wright Polynomial Correction for Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Incandescence in the Transition Regime

Sizing aerosolized nanoparticles through time-resolved laser-induced incandescence (TiRe-LII) requires an accurate model of the heat conduction from the laser-energized particle to the surrounding gas. Under transition regime conditions this is often done using Fuchs’ boundary-sphere method, which requires the analyst to specify the thickness of a collisionless layer surrounding the particle, representing the Knudsen layer. Traditionally the boundary layer thickness is set to the mean free path of the gas at the boundary temperature, but recently some TiRe-LII practitioners have adopted a more complex treatment that accounts for particle curvature and directional distribution of gas molecules. This paper presents a critical reassessment of this approach; while this modification is more representative of the true Knudsen layer thickness, it does not improve the accuracy of heat conduction rates estimated using Fuchs’ boundary sphere methods under conditions prevailing in most TiRe-LII experiments.