Inline Fuel Contaminant Sensor

To address the Army’s need for an inline sensor to detect and prevent entry of contaminated fuel into Army aircraft, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Inline Fuel Contaminant Sensor (IFCS) that operates before and while refueling Army aircraft, and stops the refueling operation immediately upon contaminants detection. IFCS is based on an innovative design that integrates mature measurement methods with POC-developed and COTS components to identify particulates of matter at the 5-micron level and detect both free and emulsified water at 10 parts-per-million level. This enables IFCS to detect fuel contaminants during hot and cold refueling at a rate of 15-300 gpm. IFCS easily integrates into any refueling equipment. In Phase I, POC will design the IFCS to be integrable into and compatible with all current Army’s aircraft refueling methods and equipment. A breadboard prototype will be assembled to demonstrate IFCS technical feasibility. In Phase II, POC will construct and demonstrate a mature prototype that is compatible with existing Forward Area Refueling Equipment (FARE) or Army aviation refueling equipment. This Phase II prototype will be self-contained, easy and simple to operate, and able to stop the flow of contaminated fuel from entering the aircraft.