High-Temperature Screech and Acoustic Sensor for Turbine Engine Augmentor

The most promising strategy for eliminating screech and rumble in augmentors is to employ an active combustion control system to detect the onset of instability, and then to force the augmentor to the desired stable operating state. Commercially available sensors, based on electrical transduction mechanisms, are limited to temperatures well below 1800° F (1000° C), and must be either cooled for use in combustors and augmentors, or remotely located through the use of infinite tube probes (ITPs). In the Phase I SBIR program, Prime Research designed, assembled and demonstrated two dynamic pressure measurement systems based on novel self-calibrating optical sensor technology. The Phase II effort proposed here will convert the prototype sensors into pre-production devices, and evaluation of these pre-production sensors will be performed in test turbines at Pratt & Whitney to obtain pressure data in various locations throughout the turbine, including inlets, compressors, and augmentors. Access to test facilities and engineering support is pledged by Pratt & Whitney at no cost. Designs will then be derived for incorporating the sensor interrogation unit into future FADEC modules for closed loop engine controls. Hardware developed will be ready for qualification programs at the conclusion of the Phase II program.