Continuous Hypergolic Monitor Network for Shipboard Applications

Seacoast Science proposes to fabricate a flexible detector system that meets all the requirements to serve as a detector of hypergolic propellants for missile defense applications. The system includes a chemical sensor array optimized for hypergolic fuels and oxidizers, a motion detector, a radio for wireless communication and a small, rugged, lightweight, low-power system designed for long-term battery operation. Our MEMS chemicapacitor technology utilizes an array of surface micromachined capacitors, coated with chemoselective polymer coatings optimized for volatile chemicals such as hydrazine, monomethyl hydrazine, dimethyl hydrazine, fuming nitric acid and other oxides of nitrogen. Inexpensive production cost, robustness and exceptionally low power consumption, will result in a compelling detector system able to operate under battery power for several years. In Phase I we will test our sensors by exposing them to missile fuels and oxidizers at appropriate concentrations under a range of environmental conditions. This Phase I effort will result in delivery of a demonstration detector package consisting of three sensor units that will be able to transmit chemical detection events wirelessly. Phase II will result in an optimized detector system that will sample the environment once a day until movement is detected then sample every second.