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This paper describes analysis of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) sensor data using Beacon-based exception analysis for multimissions (BEAM), a new technology developed for sensor analysis and diagnostics in autonomous space systems by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
We analyze the decade-long (2007-2016) record of aerosol measurements from four distinctive sensors, namely CALIOP, MODIS, MISR, and IASI, to quantify the trans-Atlantic dust transport and deposition. These satellite sensors use different techniques to characterize particle size and shape properties; and we have developed sensor-specific methods (broadly categorized into size-based and shape-based method) to derive dust optical depth (DOD). The size-based DOD from MODIS and IASI generally agrees better with AERONET-derived DOD than the shape-based DOD from CALIOP and MISR does. Overall, the shape-based DOD is smaller than the size-based DOD by about 25%, which is consistent with distinctive ways of accounting for coarse-spherical particles of dust-pollution internal mixture. While such dust-pollution mixtures are counted as dust in the size-based DOD, they are excluded in the shape-based DOD. DOD is not a good proxy for dust deposition. Instead, the dust deposition depends strongly on the gradient of DOD on a monthly basis and can be derived by calculating the meridional and zonal dust mass flux based on the three-dimensional distributions of dust. Among the remote sensing measurements, difference in dust deposition is smaller than that of DOD, suggesting that different satellites characterize the DOD gradient more consistently than DOD itself. Satellite measurements of dust deposition and DOD also provide an accurate estimate of the dust loss frequency (LF) that measures how efficient the dust is removed from the atmosphere. We found that these remote sensing measurements yield similar LF values of 0.078 –0.102 d-1, which however is factors of 2-5 smaller than model simulations. This analysis provides valuable insights into potential deficiencies in models’ emission and transport/removal processes and hence helps guide model improvement.
Artemesia tridentatais a foundational plant taxon in western North America and an important medicinal plant threatened by climate change. Low-cost fabrication of sensors is critical for developing large-area sensor networks for understanding and monitoring a range of environmental conditions. However, the availability of materials and manufacturing processes is still in the early stages, limiting the capacity to develop cost-effective sensors at a large scale. In this study, we demonstrate the fabrication of low-cost flexible sensors using laser-induced graphene (LIG); a graphitic material synthesized using a 450-nm wavelength bench top laser patterned onto polyimide substrates. We demonstrate the effect of the intensity and focus of the incident beam on the morphology and electrical properties of the synthesized material. Raman analyses of the synthesized LIG show a defect-rich graphene with a crystallite size in the tens of nanometers. This shows that the high level of disorder within the LIG structure, along with the porous nature of the material provide a good surface for gas adsorption. The initial characterization of the material has shown an analyte response represented by a change in resistance of up to 5% in the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted and detected byArtemisiaspecies. Bend testing up to 100 cycles provides evidence that these sensors will remain resilient when deployed across the landscapes to assess VOC signaling in plant communities. The versatile low-cost laser writing technique highlights the promise of low-cost and scalable fabrication of LIG sensors for gas sensor monitoring.
A fiber-optic temperature sensor was developed that is rugged, compact, stable, and can be inexpensively fabricated. This thin-film interferometric temperature sensor was shown to be capable of providing a +/- 2 C accuracy over the range of -55 to 275 C, throughout a 5000 hr operating life. A temperature-sensitive thin-film Fabry-Perot interferometer can be deposited directly onto the end of a multimode optical fiber. This batch-fabricatable sensor can be manufactured at a much lower cost than can a presently available sensor, which requires the mechanical attachment of a Fabry-Perot interferometer to a fiber. The principal disadvantage of the thin-film sensor is its inherent instability, due to the low processing temperatures that must be used to prevent degradation of the optical fiber's buffer coating. The design of the stable thin-film temperature sensor considered the potential sources of both short and long term drifts. The temperature- sensitive Fabry-Perot interferometer was a silicon film with a thickness of approx. 2 microns. A laser-annealing process was developed which crystallized the silicon film without damaging the optical fiber. The silicon film was encapsulated with a thin layer of Si3N4 over coated with aluminum. Crystallization of the silicon and its encapsulation with a highly stable, impermeable thin-film structure were essential steps in producing a sensor with the required long-term stability.
A new gas temperature sensor was developed that shows promise of sufficient ruggedness to be useful as a gas turbine temperature sensor. The sensor is in the form of a single-crystal aluminum oxide ceramic, ground to a cone shape and given an emissive coating. A lens and an optical fiber conduct the thermally emitted light to a remote and near-infrared photodetector assembly. Being optically coupled and passive, the sensor is highly immune to all types of electrical interference. Candidate sensors were analyzed for optical sensor performance, heat transfer characteristics, stress from gas loading. This led to the selection of the conical shape as the most promising for the gas turbine environment. One uncoated and two coated sensing elements were prepared for testing. Testing was conducted to an indicated 1750 C in a propane-air flame. Comparison with the referee optical pyrometer shows an accuracy of + or - 25 C at 1700 C for this initial development. One hundred cycles from room temperature to 1700 C left the sapphire cone intact, but some loss of the platinum, 6% rhodium coating was observed. Several areas for improving the overall performance and durability are identified.
Trace level detection of hydrazine (N2H4), monomethyl hydrazine (MMH) and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) has been receiving increased attention over the past several years. In May 1995 the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) lowered their acceptable threshold limit value (TLV) from 100 parts-per-billion (ppb) to 10 ppb. Several types of ppb-level detectors are being developed by the United States Air Force (USAF) Space and Missile Systems Center (SMSC). A breadboard version of a portable, lightweight hydrazine detection sensor was developed and produced by Giner Corp. for the USAF. This sensor was designed for ppb level UDMH and N2H4 vapor detection in near real-time. This instrument employs electrochemical sensing, utilizing a three electrode cell with an anion-exchange polymer electrolyte membrane as the only electrolyte in the system. The sensing, counter and reference electrodes are bonded to the membrane forming a single component. The only liquid required to maintain the sensor is deionized water which hydrates the membrane. At the request of the USAF SMSC, independent testing and evaluation of the breadboard instrument was performed at NASA's Toxic Vapor Detection Laboratory (TVDL) for response to ppb-level N2H4 and UDMH and MMH. The TVDL, located at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has the unique ability to generate calibrated sample vapor streams of N2H4, UDMH, and MMH over a range from less than 10 ppb to thousands of parts per million (ppm) with full environmental control of relative humidity (0-90%) and temperature (0-50 C). The TVDL routinely performs these types of tests. Referenced sensors were subjected to extensive testing, including precision, linearity, response/recovery times, zero and span drift, humidity and temperature effects as well as ammonia interference. Results of these tests and general operation characteristics are reported.
In the 1984 SBIR Call for Proposals, NASA solicited new methods to measure primary production and chlorophyll in the ocean. Biospherical Instruments Inc. responded to this call with a proposal first to study a variety of approaches to this problem. A second phase of research was then funded to pursue instrumentation to measure the sunlight stimulated naturally occurring fluorescence of chlorophyll in marine phytoplankton. The monitoring of global productivity, global fisheries resources, application of above surface-to-underwater optical communications systems, submarine detection applications, correlation, and calibration of remote sensing systems are but some of the reasons for developing inexpensive sensors to measure chlorophyll and productivity. Normally, productivity measurements are manpower and cost intensive and, with the exception of a very few expensive multiship research experiments, provide no contemporaneous data. We feel that the patented, simple sensors that we have designed will provide a cost effective method for large scale, synoptic, optical measurements in the ocean. This document is the final project report for a NASA sponsored SBIR Phase 2 effort to develop new methods for the measurements of primary production in the ocean. This project has been successfully completed, a U.S. patent was issued covering the methodology and sensors, and the first production run of instrumentation developed under this contract has sold out and been delivered.
This paper describes the development of a Micro/Mini Air Reconnaissance Vehicle for advanced sensors and electronics at NASA Langley Research Center over the last year. This vehicle is expected to have a total weight of less than four pounds, a design velocity of 40 mph, an endurance of 15-20 minutes, and a maximum range of 5km. The vehicle has wings that are simple to detach yet retain the correct alignment. The upper fuselage surface has a quick release hatch used to access the interior and also to mount the varying propulsion systems. The sensor suite developed for this vehicle consists of a Pitot-static measurement system for determining air speed, an absolute pressure measurement for determining altitude, magnetic direction measurement, and three orthogonal gyros to determine body angular rates. Swarming GPS-guidance and in-flight maneuvering is discussed, as well as design and installation of some other advance sensors like MEMS microphones, infrared cameras, GPS, humidity sensors, and an ultrasonic sonar sensor. Also low cost, small size, high performance control and navigation system for the Micro Air Vehicle is discussed. At the end, laboratory characterization of different sensors, motors, propellers, and batteries will be discussed.
A High Temperature Fiber Optic Sensor (HTFOS) has been developed at NASA Glenn Research Center for aircraft engine applications. After fabrication and preliminary in-house performance evaluation, the HTFOS was tested in an engine environment at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. The engine tests enabled the performance of the HTFOS in real engine environments to be evaluated along with the ability of the sensor to respond to changes in the engine's operating condition. Data were collected prior, during, and after each test in order to observe the change in temperature from ambient to each of the various test point levels. An adequate amount of data was collected and analyzed to satisfy the research team that HTFOS operates properly while the engine was running. Temperature measurements made by HTFOS while the engine was running agreed with those anticipated.
A major upgrade has been implemented for the ns-gated laser entrance hole imager on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to obtain high-quality data for Hohlraum physics study. In this upgrade, the single “Furi” hCMOS sensor (1024 × 448 pixel arrays with two-frame capability) is replaced with dual “Icarus” sensors (1024 × 512 pixel arrays with four-frame capability). Both types of sensors were developed by Sandia National Laboratories for high energy density physics experiments. With the new Icarus sensors, the new diagnostic provides twice the detection area with improved uniformity, wider temporal coverage, flexible timing setup, and greater sensitivity to soft x rays (<2 keV). These features, together with the fact that the diagnostic is radiation hardened and can be operated on the NIF for high neutron yield deuterium–triterium experiments, enable significantly greater return of data per experiment.
One of the major degradation mechanisms in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is cathode poisoning by chromium due to vaporization from the metallic interconnect or balance-of-plant materials. Information on the chromium content in an operating fuel cell would be useful to anticipate degradation and take appropriate precautions. In this project, sensors for measuring the concentration of chromium-containing gases in a SOFC system were developed. The sensors are electrochemical sensors based on solid electrolytes with an auxiliary electrode to provide the sensitivity to chromium. Two different solid electrolyte materials were used: An oxygen ion conducting electrolyte, yttria stabilized zirconia, and a sodium ion conducting electrolyte, beta” alumina. The sensor based on beta” alumina generated a larger response to the presence of chromium. The concept of using a thin-film conducting oxide to measure the cumulative amount of chromium was also evaluated. The sensor was based on amanganese-copper oxide thin film and underwent an increase in resistance upon exposure to a chromium-containing gas.
A PC-based software system is described which can be used for data acquisition and thermal-error correction of a multichannel pressure-sensor system developed for use in a cryogenic environment. The software incorporates pressure-sensitivity and sensor-offset compensation files into thermal error-correction algorithms, and the sensors are calibrated by simulating the operating conditions. The system is found to be effective in the collecting, storing, and processing of multichannel pressure-sensor data to correct thermally induced offset and sensitivity errors.
Condition-Based Operation and Maintenance (CBOM) is the state-of-the-art in maintenance approaches for gas turbine engines. CBOM applies engine sensor information to the optimization of future operation and maintenance procedures; this technique reduces costs for engine operators by minimizing unplanned outages and catastrophic engine degradation. However, due to the complexities of gas turbine operation and the lack of available engine sensors, further development is required to fully realize the benefits of CBOM. In the turbine section, rotating components interact with high temperature flows, which creates intense thermal and mechanical stresses. As a result, there are numerous mechanisms of component degradation in the turbine section. Furthermore, turbine components – like stator vanes and rotor blades – are among the most expensive in the engine because they are complex to design and manufacture. For these reasons, this dissertation addresses two main questions: (i) which parameters or faults within the turbine section are most important to monitor, and (ii) how can these parameters or faults be monitored in an engine-relevant environment? Although many turbine parameters and faults have been investigated in the open literature, there are some faults that are still not well understood. Rotor-casing eccentricity, which causes a non-constant blade tip clearance around the annulus, has not been investigated in terms of its effects on turbine efficiency. Therefore, the first study in this dissertation quantifies overall and local turbine efficiency for varying levels of rotor-casing eccentricity. Results showed negligible variations to overall turbine efficiency, meaning rotor-casing eccentricity only becomes relevant to CBOM when its severity causes rotordynamic issues. Purge flow is critical to turbine hardware longevity because it prevents ingestion of hot main gas path (MGP) flow into the under-platform regions. Despite its importance, there are currently no methods for monitoring purge flow performance in an engine environment. Therefore, the second study in this dissertation develops a predictive model for sealing effectiveness using inputs from two fast-response pressure sensors. Results exhibited low prediction errors across a full range of purge flow rates, which supports the viability of the modelling approach for CBOM. The final two studies in this dissertation address blade coolant flow monitoring. This cooling flow is responsible for protecting the turbine blades from the MGP flow, which exits the combustor at temperatures greater than the blade melting point. These studies showed that temperature measurements on the blade surface can be used to accurately predict blade coolant flow rate, and that defining the candidate features relative to the coolant trajectory is important for maintaining accuracy as coolant flow rate degradation occurs. This work enables blade coolant flow monitoring, which is currently not possible through existing condition monitoring techniques.
A multi-project ceramic substrate was used in developing a gas sensor and pressure sensor. The ceramic substrate cantained 36 chips with six variants including sensors, process control monitors, and an interconnect ship. Tha gas sensor is being developed as an air quality monitor and the pressure gauge as a barometer.
Idaho National Laboratory is constructing the Special Nuclear Material test bed (Beartooth) for research and development pertaining to nuclear fuel processing operations using centrifugal contactors. Beartooth will enable give researchers the opportunity to study the dissolution, separation, and conversion of special nuclear materials (e.g., plutonium, enriched uranium, and thorium). As a lead-in to Beartooth, this project constructed a test bed to study the process and equipment behavior with real time series data collection using a variety of non-traditional sensors, in order to identify process failures and label them as either accidental or purposeful, thus enhancing nuclear nonproliferation stewardship. The measurement sources in this test bed include vibration, acoustic, current, flow, colorimetric, and thermal data. These measurements vary in terms of magnitude, frequency, and location. This information will be combined and used within data-driven machine-learning methods to detect operation condition changes that are either intentional (i.e., changes in operating set points) or malicious (i.e., flow diversion) in nature. This presentation covers the data processing and signature development activities necessary for utilizing this heterogeneous dataset to classify process anomalies.
The selection of materials to develop a thin film HCl sensor is discussed. Data were primarily concerned with chemical and physical properties of the film and with electrical properties which exhibit and enhance electrical response when HCl is absorbed on the film surface. Techniques investigated for enhancing electrical response include changing conditions for growing films, adding impurities to the film, changing ambient light intensity, and altering the ambient temperature of the sensing element.
A Flash Lidar utilizing a novel Super-Resolution (SR) technique has been developed for providing Terrain Relative Navigation and Hazard Avoidance capabilities onboard landing vehicles. Processing algorithms for precision navigation and safe landing location identification take advantage of the uniform fixed pixels property of generated high resolution Digital Elevation Maps (DEMs) to achieve high reliability operation in near real-time. This paper describes the current and next generation breadboard units, report the results of recent dynamic tests, and explain the operational concept as envisioned for future landing missions.
Despite aggressive work on the development of sensor fusion algorithms and techniques, no formal evaluation procedures have been proposed. Based on existing integration models in the literature, an evaluation framework is developed to assess an operator's ability to use multisensor, or sensor fusion, displays. The proposed evaluation framework for evaluating the operator's ability to use such systems is a normative approach: The operator's performance with the sensor fusion display can be compared to the models' predictions based on the operator's performance when viewing the original sensor displays prior to fusion. This allows for the determination as to when a sensor fusion system leads to: 1) poorer performance than one of the original sensor displays (clearly an undesirable system in which the fused sensor system causes some distortion or interference); 2) better performance than with either single sensor system alone, but at a sub-optimal (compared to the model predictions) level; 3) optimal performance (compared to model predictions); or, 4) super-optimal performance, which may occur if the operator were able to use some highly diagnostic 'emergent features' in the sensor fusion display, which were unavailable in the original sensor displays. An experiment demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed evaluation framework is discussed.