Embedded Pressure Sensors for Automation and Control of Fluid Valves

The US Navy continues to research and develop advanced automation technologies to reduce the manning required to operate the next generation of combatants, without compromising platform survivability. One of the most manpower-intensive activities is damage control, during which time critical systems are shut down or re-routed to keep the ship operational. Sailors have typically been the only means of assessing and reacting to damage to a ship system1. For many systems, rapidly isolating damage and preventing loss of line media are critical to continued ship operation. Automated distributed control systems promise to greatly reduce reaction time and significantly reduce the numbers of sailors required during damage control operations by utilizing the following technology: · Smart sensors to determine line pressure and fluid flow · Smart valves to isolate damage Smart valves are now available that include controllers capable of communicating with sensors and other smart valves, each commonly referred to as "nodes" in the system. Depending on its location in the system, each smart valve is programmed to respond to information sent to it by other nodes, such as line pressure, fluid temperature, fluid flow, and whether other valves are open or closed. The primary Phase I Technical Objective is to assess the state-of-the-art in pressure and flow sensors and their applicability to smart fluid systems on Navy ships. From this information a recommendation will be made regarding the best available sensors that will meet the needs of the Navy. Marotta proposes to use a 3-step approach in order to achieve the stated Technical Objective. The first step of this SBIR will be to conduct an exhaustive survey of the market for pressure and flow sensors. The second step will be to select one or more of the most promising products or technologies and recommend design changes as required for the Navy ship environment. The final step will be to incorporate these sensors into a smart valve system, using LonWorks or other field bus, to provide the information necessary to monitor, troubleshoot and reroute the system around any damaged or non-functioning sections.