Nonintrusive Diagnostic for Thermometry and H2O Concentration in Harsh Environments in Hypersonic Test Facilities

The goal of the proposed Air Force Phase I program is to develop and design a sensor system for measurements of temperature and H2O concentration in AEDC’s Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU) flow facility for hypersonic research. The sensor system will be based on an existing commercial tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) system, the MetroLaser LTS-100TM, which will be enhanced to provide measurements at the high temperatures and pressures needed for characterizing hypersonic test facilities. Characterization of ground test facilities is critical to minimizing the risks in flight tests. Further, the data is also needed to verify and validate modeling and simulation tools that are used to predict test article performance. The applicability of MetroLaser’s instrument for AEDC’s facilities will be verified using two laboratory-based feasibility experiments, one to extend the usable temperature range and one to extend the usable pressure range. This research will then enable the selection of components needed to produce a robust low-cost sensor system that can be used to quantify temperature and H2O concentrations in the Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU) and other AEDC hypersonic research facilities.