IGF::OT::IGF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROCKET-BASED AND TURBINE-BASED COMBINED CYCLE ENGINES ARE A HIGH PRIORITY F…

Public award description

IGF::OT::IGF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROCKET-BASED AND TURBINE-BASED COMBINED CYCLE ENGINES ARE A HIGH PRIORITY FOR TRANSPORTATION INTO SPACE. IN ORDER TO TEST COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS, AND CERTIFY LIFE CYCLES FOR THESE ENGINES, NON-INTRUSIVE FLOW DIAGNOSTICS ARE REQUIRED. IN PARTICULAR, HIGH-SPEED MEASUREMENTS OF PRESSURE, VELOCITY, AND TEMPERATURE PROFILES ACROSS BOTH INLET AND OUTLET DUCTS OF THESE ENGINES WOULD PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ENGINE PERFORMANCE. SOUTHWEST SCIENCES, INC. PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A HIGH-SPEED, NON-INTRUSIVE MONITOR TO MEASURE SUCH FLOWS. THIS FIBER OPTIC SENSOR IS BASED ON A NOVEL APPROACH DERIVED FROM WAVELENGTH MODULATION SPECTROSCOPY, IN WHICH HIGH BANDWIDTH MEASUREMENTS CAN BE ACQUIRED AND PROCESSED WITH SIMPLE ELECTRONICS. PHASE I WILL FOCUS ON VALIDATING THE PROPOSED TECHNIQUE AND IN PHASE II, A FULLY OPERATIONAL PROTOTYPE WILL BE CONSTRUCTED, TESTED AND DELIVERED TO NASA.