A Low-Cost, Handheld Ultrasonic Pressure Sensor for Non-Invasive, Rapid, and Accurate Measurement of Helium Pressure in Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels of Airborne Fuel Flow

To address the need of Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Missile Product Office’s (THR) for an accurate, non-invasive, and non-destructive means of measuring the helium pressure within the Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) upon Divert and Attitude Control System (DACS) installation and whenever missile rounds (MRs) are returned for Stockpile Reliability Testing (SRT), X-wave Innovations, Inc. (XII) with support from Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMC) proposes to develop a low-cost, handheld ultrasonic pressure sensor. The proposed solution is based on XII-developed ultrasonic sensor technologies for non-invasive measurements of helium pressure in spent nuclear fuel dry-storage canisters and large flow rate measurements of hydrogen gas in a pipeline. As part of the Phase I-like effort, we demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed ultrasonic sensor technology for non-invasive measurements of helium pressure inside a metallic canister and the use of artificial intelligence or machine learning (AI/ML) to significantly increase the accuracy of ultrasonic flow rate measurements. In the Phase II program, we will first refine the ultrasonic sensor design and assemble an integrated ultrasonic sensor head for testing. We will then implement a machine learning algorithm for data analysis. Subsequently, we will miniaturize and package the readout electronics and display into a handheld device. Finally, we will conduct verification and validation testing and commercialize the developed product. Approved for Public Release | 25-MDA-12052 (27 Mar 25)