SAP PURCHASE REQUISITION: 4200228057 SBIR PHASE II ENTITLED A LASER-BASED DIAGNOSTIC SUITE FOR HYPERSONIC T…

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SAP PURCHASE REQUISITION: 4200228057 SBIR PHASE II ENTITLED A LASER-BASED DIAGNOSTIC SUITE FOR HYPERSONIC TEST FACILITIES TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 2000 CHARACTERS, APPROXIMATELY 200 WORDS) IN THIS SBIR EFFORT, LOS GATOS RESEARCH (LGR) PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A SUITE OF LASER-BASED DIAGNOSTICS FOR THE STUDY OF REACTIVE AND NON-REACTIVE HYPERSONIC FLOWS. THESE SENSORS WILL UTILIZE DIODE LASER SPECTROSCOPY TO DETERMINE SEVERAL CRITICAL PARAMETERS INCLUDING GAS TEMPERATURE, VELOCITY, AND COMPOSITION. MOREOVER, BY USING BOTH MULTIPLE LINES-OF-SIGHT AND MULTIPLE WAVELENGTHS, THE ANALYZER WILL ALSO PROVIDE A MEASURE OF THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THESE IMPORTANT GAS PARAMETERS IN AN ENGINE TEST FACILITY. THE SBIR INSTRUMENT WILL BE THE FIRST SYSTEM CAPABLE OF PROVIDING REAL-TIME, RAPID QUANTIFICATION OF THESE IMPORTANT COMBUSTION PARAMETERS IN NASA'S HYPERSONIC TEST FACILITIES. SUCH QUANTIFICATION IS ESSENTIAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED REACTIVE CFD MODELS AND SUBSEQUENT HYPERSONIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS FOR FUTURE AEROSPACE VEHICLES. POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 1500 CHARACTERS, APPROXIMATELY 150 WORDS) BESIDES ITS APPLICATION TO NASA, A LASER-BASED GAS ANALYZER ALSO HAS SIGNIFICANT COMMERCIAL APPLICATION. THROUGH A SERIES OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, LGR IS DEVELOPING A SUITE OF ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTATION TO MEASURE TRACE GASES FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS, INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL MONITORING, AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH. THE PROPOSED WORK IS ESSENTIAL IN MAKING THESE INSTRUMENTS MORE COMPACT, RUGGED, AND COST COMPETITIVE, AND WILL THUS ENLARGE THE POTENTIAL MARKET SIZE SIGNIFICANTLY. POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 1500 CHARACTERS, APPROXIMATELY 150 WORDS) IN ORDER TO DEVELOP NEXT-GENERATION HYPERSONIC VEHICLES, NASA RESEARCHERS RELY HEAVILY ON GROUND TEST FACILITIES AND COMPLEX NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS. THESE MODELS REQUIRE A SERIES OF ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING IMPORTANT CHEMICAL SPECIES AND THE NATURE OF TURBULENT FLOW TO BECOME TRACTABLE. DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THESE MODELS AND THEIR PARAMETERS SENSITIVITIES, CURRENT CFD CALCULATIONS LACK SUFFICIENT PREDICTIVE CAPABILITIES. IN ORDER TO VALIDATE AND REFINE THESE MODELS, IT IS NECESSARY TO EQUIP GROUND TEST ENGINES WITH DIAGNOSTICS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF ACCURATELY MEASURING THE GAS TEMPERATURE, GAS VELOCITY, AND CONCENTRATIONS OF KEY CHEMICAL SPECIES AT SEVERAL POINTS WITHIN THE TURBULENT FLOW FIELD. BY COMPARING THE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS DIRECTLY TO NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS, THE MODELING OF COMPRESSIBLE, TURBULENT FLOW CAN BE GREATLY IMPROVED, ENABLING THE PRODUCTION OF NEXT-GENERATION PROPULSION SYSTEMS NASA'S TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY THE SBIR-STTR PROGRAM TO DISSEMINATE AWARENESS OF PROPOSED AND AWARDED R/R&D IN THE AGENCY. IT IS A LISTING OF OVER 100 TECHNOLOGIES, SORTED INTO BROAD CATEGORIES, OF INTEREST TO NASA.