Developing Failure Stability in High-Reliability Sensor Design and Applications

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Air Force has an identified an important need for improving the reliability of sensor systems used for critical control of aerospace engines and vehicles. Reliable sensors are key to achieving a significant reduction in maintenance costs and cost-effectively increasing the reliability of test cell sensor systems. Environetix will leverage extensive expertise in wireless high-temperature sensor materials, devices, packaging, and data acquisition to improve the reliability of its harsh-environment technology for turbine engine test-cell applications. The patented, licensed technology uses SAW devices fabricated with stable high-temperature films, LGS substrates, and proprietary sensor attachment methodology. Continuing interaction with turbine engine OEMs will inform next-generation design of Environetix"s LGS wireless SAW sensor system prototypes, to improve system performance and reliability. Preliminary sensor packaging will be designed and tested and a more capable and reliable sensor electronics system will be developed. A complete sensor system prototype including LGS SAW sensors, RF electronics control system, sensor packaging, and attachment will be fabricated and calibration protocols developed. The reliability of Environetix"s next-generation sensor system LGS SAW temperature sensors will be demonstrated by testing complete prototype sensors in laboratory furnaces and on rotating parts in miniature turbine engines. Reliability improvements over Environetix"s current state-of-the-art technology will be analyzed. BENEFIT: Environetix Technologies Corporation will adapt the commercialization strategy used for its initial product, the EVHT-100 Wireless High Temperature Sensor System, to demonstrate, commercialize and deploy a robust and reliable LGS surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) sensor system specifically for test-cell applications. The strategy involves developing several generations of prototype sensor devices and testing reliability and performance with turbine engine OEMs. It is anticipated that successful wireless temperature sensor technology demonstrations during later stages of Phase II will lead to license agreements between Environetix and several key turbine engine OEMs. The OEMs will then use the sensor systems to improve the design of current and next-generation turbine engines for USAF use. Future development of the technology for flight applications will provide data with far-reaching benefits for the USAF, such as supporting increased thrust-to-weight ratios, decreased fuel consumption and engine validation costs, and material data for life-prediction models informing better component health-management practices. In addition, OEMs will use this technology for aero-frame, turbine engine and material development, since it provides reliable sensing data not now available to the industry. The importance of this enabling technology will go beyond DoD applications into the turbine engine testing industry, commercial aerospace industry, power industry, and industrial control processes that operate under harsh environment conditions.