SBIR Phase II: Wireless High Temperature Sensor for Real Time Monitoring of Power Generation Turbine Engines

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，发电燃气轮机的计划外停电越来越多，这给平均每年500个电力服务合同的燃气轮机制造商带来了16亿美元的风险。使用这些传感器测量叶片表面温度将取代计划外停机的重大成本，因为它可以揭示燃烧室何时过火，使操作员能够采取纠正措施。根据美国环境保护局的数据，发电燃气轮机排放了130万吨NOx和SOx。由于燃烧室点火错误，NOx排放增加。该项目还将加速开发发动机的采用，因为与测量仪器安装相关的成本和劳动力需求减少了。此外，它还可以用于监测偏远地区恶劣的环境参数，同时为提高核反应堆和化学加工厂系统效率的控制系统提供洞察。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目将开发用于燃气轮机发动机叶片表面温度测量的聚合物衍生陶瓷(PDC)传感器系统。目前，没有传感器可以在现场这些恶劣的环境中生存下来。这一创新将独特的无线、无源、耐腐蚀的基于PDC的谐振器直接粘结在刀片表面，以及基于高温PDC的天线结合在一起，可在恶劣环境中运行。研究目标是利用不同的PDC实现传感器的小型化和优化；高温天线的制造和验证；PDC材料特性的表征、微结构变化、传感性能的退化、长期暴露在炉膛和燃烧器中的高温(~1000℃)后的粘接机制评估。该原型包括集成的多个传感器、高温天线和用户数据接口，将在旋转的微型涡轮机上运行，以在实际操作环境中展示性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is that unplanned outages of power generation gas turbines are increasingly occurring which pose a risk of $1.6 billion to gas turbine manufacturers across an average fleet of 500 annually on power services contracts. Using these sensors to measure blade surface temperatures will replace the significant cost of unplanned outages, by revealing when combustors are over firing to enable operators to take corrective measures. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, power generation gas turbines accounted for 1.3 million tons of NOx and SOx emissions. NOx emissions are increased due to erroneous combustor firing. This project would also lead to acceleration of adoption for developmental engines owing to reduced cost and labor requirements associated with measurement instrumentation installation. Also, this can be used in monitoring harsh environment parameters in remotely inaccessible locations, while providing insight to control systems increasing the efficiency of systems in nuclear reactors and chemical processing plants.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a polymer-derived ceramics (PDC) sensor system for gas turbine engine's blade surface temperature measurement. Currently, no sensors exist that can survive these harsh environments in-situ. This innovation combines unique, wireless, passive, corrosion-resistant PDC-based resonators bonded directly on the blade surface along with high temperature PDC-based antenna for operating in harsh environments. The research objectives are to miniaturize & optimize the sensor utilizing different PDCs; fabrication & validation of high temperature antenna; characterization of PDC material properties, microstructural changes, degradation of sensing performance, bonding mechanism evaluation after long term exposure to high temperatures (~1000C) in a furnace & burner rig. The prototype, including integrated multiple sensors, high temperature antenna & user data interface, will be operated on a rotating micro-turbine to demonstrate performance in actual operating environments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.