Foreign Object Damage Detection With The Prime FOCIS System

There is currently a lack of reliable instrumentation which can provide data about non-catastrophic foreign object damage without an extended examination by a highly skilled technician. Current methods require a detailed visual inspection either through engine disassembly or with a borescope. Furthermore, this process becomes increasingly difficult as engines and airframes become more and more integrated, as the access to necessary points on the engine becomes limited. As a result, this constitutes a time consuming and very expensive approach towards obtaining the needed information. Prime Photonics, LC (PPLC) is in the process of developing a real-time, in situ, foreign object damage (FOD) detection system for use in operational turbine engines. The proposed solution leverages the blade clearance technology of the PPLC Fiber Optic Clearance and Identification Sensor (FOCIS) sensor. The FOCIS system can be used as a front end for detecting, localizing, and assessing FOD through two independent methods of analysis, which can be performed in parallel.