Real-Time Optical Smoke Meters

The SAE smoke number has been an important measurement for prevention of black, sooty plumes in military and commercial aviation. The current method, however, requires the use of a complex extraction system to bring engine exhaust through a filter paper,and then requires a person to remove the soot covered filter and perform a measurement in an optical reflectometer to determine the smoke number. Engine testing facilities would benefit from a simpler and less labor intensive method to measure smokenumber. Advanced Fuel Research, Inc. (AFR) proposes an in-situ, non intrusive optical-based method that will be shown in Phase I to correlate with the current extractive aerospace recommended practice. It will be easy to install and use, and it will alsobe insensitive to conditions typical of engine testing environments, thus making it reliable and of low maintenance. The Phase I prototype will be demonstrated at a testing location of the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) at Arnold Air ForceBase. The SAE International Committee E-31 has responsibility to the aircraft industry for the measurement of particulate emissions (smoke) from aircraft engines. It is planned that the technology and product developed in this project will become anaerospace recommended practice (ARP) of Committee E-31. Phase I and II of this project will result in a product that will benefit the military aircraft industry and also find duel use by benefiting the commercial aircraft industry and power generationindustry that utilize gas turbine engines.