SBIR-STTR Award

Makel Engineering, Inc. (MEI) proposes to develop a miniaturized Airborne Chemical Microsensor Instrument (ACMI) suitable for real-time, airborne measurements of trace carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and methane for use on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs.) The potential of UAVs to carry instrument packages to support atmospheric science has been demonstrated over the past decade. The rapid expansion of available UAV types and increased mission capability (payload, flight duration, and system cost reductions) offers wide range of potential applications. The instrument package to be developed in the program will adapt low cost and low power chemical microsensor technology which has been demonstrated for fire detection and exhaust emission monitoring to airborne measurements. The fast time response and miniaturized system will provide a lightweight, low cost instrument for package for a wide range of deployments including aerostats (balloons and kites) to UAV such as Dragon Eye and SIERRA. Phase I of the program will fabricate and test a prototype system to demonstrate capability of the instrument.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) UAVs will see an expanded role in support NASA science missions. Recent applications for the UAV based chemical sensing currently include the study of volcanoes to validate atmospheric models and to gain new insight into mechanisms. Near term application of the technology would be to assist NASA's work studying volcanic activity such as tracking volcano emissions. The lightweight, low cost, flight capable chemical detection instrument also has application to a wide range of non UAV related NASA applications including (1) propellant leak detection propulsion systems and ground test facilities, (2) environmental monitoring in spacecraft and aircraft, (3) portable or remotely deployed early fire detection. The addition of sensors for CO, NOx and ozone would make the system suitable for monitoring aircraft onboard oxygen generation systems (OBOGS). An aircraft's OBOGS supplies proper oxygen partial pressure to the pilot and crew by conditioning and concentrating oxygen from engine bleed air. In addition to concentrating the oxygen levels, this system effectively filters out contaminants from typical bleed air supply. Problems arise when bleed air composition is substantially out of spec with elevated levels of contaminants, such as due to exhaust ingestion or oil leaks. While there are safeguards in place to ensure proper flow and pressure of the breathing supply, there are currently no warning signs or measurements indicating the concentration of toxic contaminants.

Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) There is a large commercial market for low cost deployable atmospheric monitoring systems. Air quality management districts could use the instrument for air quality monitoring. The ability to potentially deploy monitoring equipment on aerostats or UAV could provide means to improve air quality forecasts and to monitor for out of compliance emissions. An extension of this system could be used to monitor indoor or cabin air quality in mass transit systems or aircraft. As commercial and civil aviation transition from traditional high pressure gaseous and liquid oxygen systems to on board oxygen generation systems, there will exist additional commercial opportunities for MEI's ACMI to be adapted for monitoring such on-board systems. . Additionally, point-of-use oxygen generators are being developed for ground operations, mobile hospitals, emergency response vehicles, and mass casualty response systems. Many of these applications have no single sensor/system for verifying the quality of the oxygen that is produced. Measuring contaminants in OBOGS and other point-of-use oxygen generators has significant military and commercial application.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
(NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.) Airship/Lighter-than-Air Craft Analytical Instruments (Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, Energy; see also Sensors) Autonomous Control (see also Control & Monitoring) Biological (see also Biological Health/Life Support) Biological Signature (i.e., Signs Of Life) Chemical/Environmental (see also Biological Health/Life Support) Diagnostics/Prognostics Fire Protection Health Monitoring & Sensing (see also Sensors) Sensor Nodes & Webs (see also Communications, Networking & Signal Transport)

The rapid expansion of available UAV types and increased mission capability (payload, flight duration, and system cost reductions) offers wide range of potential applications. The Airborne Chemical Microsensor System (AMS) instrument package being developed adapts low cost and low power chemical microsensor technology which has been demonstrated for fire detection and exhaust emission monitoring to airborne measurements. The fast time response and miniaturized system will provide a lightweight, low cost instrument for package for a wide range of deployments including aerostats (balloons and kites) to UAV such as Dragon Eye and SIERRA. Chemical species mapping using UAVs enables model validation and attaining new data that complements and augments traditional aerial and satellite data. However, there currently are limited options adapting commercial chemical sensors for detecting all species of interest at the levels required, and with fast response time. Wet electrochemical cells, which provide accurate measurement for some species, are typically slow (30-60 sec), sensitive to pressure changes, and are a potential hazard from leakage. Most commercial environmental carbon dioxide monitors are based on NDIR, with response time in the order of minutes. Hydrocarbons are monitored by generic combustible gas sensors. Instruments need to be low cost, compact and robust enough for incorporation in UAV systems, capable of surviving hard landings and sufficiently low cost that damage to the instrument and or loss of the UAV is not a major setback for the mission. The proposed solid-state, microsensor technology is well suited for this application, because of the low production cost and robust packaging. The proposed program provides a low cost instrument (less than $1000 in limited quantities) for real-time carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and methane detection.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) UAVs will see an expanded role in support NASA science missions. Recent applications for the UAV based chemical sensing currently include the study of volcanoes to validate atmospheric models and to gain new insight into mechanisms. Near term application of the Airborne Chemical Microsensor System (AMS) would be to assist NASA's work studying volcanic activity such as tracking volcano emissions.



Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) There is a large commercial market for low cost deployable atmospheric monitoring systems. Air quality management districts could use the instrument for air quality monitoring. The ability to potentially deploy monitoring equipment on aerostats or UAV could provide means to improve air quality forecasts and to monitor for out of compliance emissions.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
(NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.) Chemical/Environmental (see also Biological Health/Life Support)