Fast, Reconfigurable Computing for PHM

Propulsion Health Management (PHM) of advanced aircraft propulsion systems refers to a multi-faceted approach of sensitive and precise monitoring of gradual subsystems degradation. The objective is to first ensure mission reliability, while extending the useful lifetime of the high-value asset. In applied propulsion engineering research, PHM diagnostics and prognostics have been shown to be feasible in tracking day-to-day engine health; it is expected that real-time engine control functions should be possible. Real-time models running on-board to support Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) are not only conceivable, but are under active development. Augmenting future FADEC systems with real-time PHM sensor integration, data fusion and decision support algorithms, physics modeling and inlet flow control will require significant computational resources. The U.S. Air Force recognizes the need for technological breakthroughs to support this high-throughput, compute-intense environment. In this proposal, Intelligent Automation Corporation (IAC) outlines a plan to address this critical need for advanced PHM technology with a combined hardware and software systems approach. This approach features cutting edge, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) high-performance computing on military-qualified IAC systems, and a novel software architecture that enables rapid development and deployment of high-level PHM algorithms on this platform