SBIR-STTR Award

Structural Imaging of High Temperature Furnace Walls
Award last edited on: 12/28/2023

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NSF
Total Award Amount
$1,349,572
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
IC
Principal Investigator
Yakup Bayram

Company Information

PaneraTech Inc

4125 Lafayette Center Drive Suite 200
Chantilly, VA 20151
   (703) 719-9666
   info@paneratech.com
   www.paneratech.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 11
County: Fairfax

Phase I

Contract Number: 1113770
Start Date: 7/1/2011    Completed: 12/31/2011
Phase I year
2011
Phase I Amount
$149,127
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses a major need in the glass manufacturing industry by developing a wireless sensor for 3?]D imaging of glass furnace walls to identify refractory erosion and molten glass leaks. The furnace walls are comprised of insulation and AZS (Alumina, Zirconium, Silica) refractories which are highly lossy and very dispersive at high temperatures. A conventional approach would inevitably be constrained by its system dynamic range, and thus the most important molten glass?]AZS echo would be virtually invisible regardless of the sophistication of digital processing on the measured results. This project takes a holistic approach from antenna design to imaging algorithm to sensor architecture in order to tackle very demanding requirements of the furnace wall. It aims to accomplish (1) accurate characterization of attenuation and dispersive properties of the furnace walls (2) optimal antenna design to match with minimum inter?]coupling, (3) high resolution imaging algorithm that leverages prior knowledge of wall properties, and (4) hardware architecture with the highest possible dynamic range in such a high temperature environment. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that it offers a 3?]D sensor that will enable a maintenance program based upon the real condition of the furnace to realize longer life span of high temperature furnaces and make informed local maintenance without a major interruption in the production. This translates to significant financial savings for the glass manufacturing industry given the multi?]million dollar initial capital investment is required to build a furnace, followed by a multi?]million dollar spending to maintain it. Further, several catastrophic accidents have occurred in the past due to molten glass leaking from the furnaces. These catastrophic accidents resulted in death of several employees, significant financial damage and severe production disruption. Therefore, this project will enable safer manufacturing environment for the glass manufacturing industry since potential areas for molten glass leakages and structural health of furnace walls will be assessed with the 3?]D imaging technology being developed under this project. Lastly, this research will also lead to new design concepts for sensing through dispersive and high loss media in extremely high temperature environment, thus introducing new approaches for wireless sensing technologies in harsh environments.

Phase II

Contract Number: 1256254
Start Date: 2/1/2013    Completed: 1/31/2018
Phase II year
2013
(last award dollars: 2015)
Phase II Amount
$1,200,445

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a prototype 3-D imaging sensor for high temperature furnaces used in the glass industry. These furnaces are also used in many other industries, including cement, coke, iron & steel, and pulp & paper industries. This 3-D imaging sensor creates an interior image of the furnace wall so that maintenance personnel can identify wall erosion, and any molten material leaking through the wall joints. The objective in Phase II is to develop a prototype sensor system that can form 3-D images of the interface between the furnace wall and molten glass. To achieve this, a high performance sensor hardware and corresponding imaging software will be developed. The entire prototyped system will be tested on high temperature furnace walls using in-house kilns followed by tests at an operational glass furnace. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that it will enable maintenance programs based upon real furnace conditions. This will allow longer life span of high temperature furnaces and the ability to make informed local maintenance without a major interruption in production. This translates to significant financial savings for the glass manufacturing industry and improved safety, as several catastrophic accidents have occurred due to molten glass leaking from the furnaces. The sensor technology also offers a platform on which many other applications can be built, including microwave medical imaging, archaeology explorations, and defect detection inside refractories during manufacturing