High-Pressure Gas-Powered Dispersal of Fine Obscuration Particulates

This SBIR Phase-1 research project will develop a high-pressure gas-powered aerosol generation system based on dispersing fine particulates from a prepackaged reservoir. Potential improvement in operational stealth capability would be derived from two advantages over the current smoke screen systems. First, by avoiding the use of high temperature combustion reactions, the flame hazards to both personnel and the local environment are eliminated. Second, the use of pre-packaged powders enables the aerosol plume characteristics to be readily engineered via both the design of the dispersing particles and the method of delivery. Control of the particle size, shape, density and index of refraction will enable alteration of the particle settling time and the effective cross-section scattering properties of the aerosol cloud to optimize obscuration at different radiation wavelengths, ex. visible vs. infrared. The dispersal system will leverage the fundamental understanding of fine powder dispersion physics which has been investigated in the field of pulmonary drug delivery over the past 2-decades. Robust, passive flow control methods, such as utilization of choked-flow nozzles for the gas, will ensure reliable performance of the fine dry-powder aerosol dispersal method under a wide variety of field conditions.