Fuel Tank Ullage Oxygen Sensor for Live-Fire Ballistic Testing

The proposed research will investigate the development of a new optical oxygen monitor for aircraft fuel tanks. A new chemically resistant sensing membrane is described which, when the used with fluorescence lifetime quenching, is expected to provide arobust, lightweight system capable of inherently stable oxygen readings within the tank ullage. The feasibility of the new monitor will be demonstrated during the Phase I effort which will conclude with a field test of a prototype system at the Fire SafetyResearch and Development center of the Federal Aviation Administration. Stable oxygen sensing systems, like that proposed for the fuel tank ullage application, have considerable commercial potential in several areas including industrial-, bioprocess- andenvironmental-monitoring, as well as biotechnological research, and drug development. The proposed oxygen sensor is particularly well suited for application in these areas where the need exists for monitoring equipment that is easy to use, reliable andreadily adaptable to the particular requirements of the application.