Etegent Awarded U.S. Navy Phase II SBIR Grant to Extend Waveguide Sensing Technology
Etegent Technologies, Ltd. announced that it has been awarded a two year, $750,000 Phase II SBIR grant from the U.S. Navy to extend the capabilities of its waveguide sensing technology developed under a previously awarded U.S. Navy grant. Etegent will enhance the pressure sensors to make reliable temperature measurements, in addition to pressure, within the combustion chambers of turbine engines used in military vehicles, such as airplanes, helicopters and M-1 tanks. In addition, Etegent will add the capability to network multiple sensors on a single backbone, increasing the number of sensors that can be queried and improving overall diagnostic capabilities.
Etegent’s robust high temperature and pressure sensing solution will enable improved control and monitoring, yielding higher engine efficiency and reliability while the networking capability will lower the cost per sensor and enable its use in more applications.
“Given the extreme temperatures of the combustion chambers in the turbine engines, which can reach upwards of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the military has been unable to deploy critical sensor technology inside the chambers to measure temperature, strain, pressure and vibration,” stated Stuart Shelley, principal at Etegent. “To date, using upstream and downstream measurements, engineers have been only been able to infer the conditions within the chambers. When these engines are in the field, failure is not an option. Earlier this year, we were tasked with developing the sensors to measure pressure within the chambers, and with this new grant, we will extend the sensor technology even further to add temperature measurements and networking capabilities for enhanced diagnostics. The sensors and their combined measurements will be used as part of the control loop to ensure optimal conditions within the chambers and that the engines are operating at maximum efficiency.”
Shelley added, “We appreciate the trust that the U.S. Navy has in our capabilities and look forward to developing a sensor solution that has the potential to improve monitoring, diagnostics, prognostics and controls for a wide range of mechanical machinery for both military and commercial applications.”
About Etegent Technologies Etegent Technologies, Ltd. Is a high-tech, R&D-focused company conducting state-of-the-art research in automatic target recognition utilizing radar, LADAR, image, vibrometry and other data types; health monitoring of turbine engines and other assets; non-destructive inspection data management and mining; mechatronic product development; and other areas. The company partners with leading companies, consultants and academics to form research teams that aid organizations across a variety of industries. Etegent’s customers include the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the U.S. Navy, Science Applications International Corporation, Ball Aerospace, Emerson Electric, Proctor and Gamble and many other government and commercial entities. For more information, visit www.etegent.com .
