SBIR Phase I: Novel Electronic Methods to Prevent Aquatic Biofouling

SBIR 第一阶段：防止水生生物污垢的新型电子方法

• 批准号: 1940392
• 负责人: James DiLorenzo
• 金额: $ 22.34万
• 依托单位: WAVEARRAY ANTIFOULING SYSTEMS, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-12-15 至 2020-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1940392&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Novel; Electronic; Methods

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project addresses biofouling (unwanted attachment of aquatic organisms, e.g. barnacles) of ships . Current antifouling methods are both harmful to the environment and costly. Toxic paints may pollute our seas and waterways. Maintenance to mitigate biofouling is labor-intensive, expensive, and somewhat hazardous. Increases in fuel costs due to frictional drag during a vessel’s operation can approach 40%. This project will develop an innovative electronic approach to biofouling prevention by developing submersible ultrasonic transducer arrays optimized for low voltage operation in a marina. The near-term commercial opportunity is with both marina owners and larger marina nationwide operators, with long-term opportunities in commercial and naval military transport, a total addressable market of approximately $10 billion. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address the challenges for commercial deployment of transducer arrays to prevent biofouling of ships docked in marinas, and will enhance the scientific understanding of acoustic wave generation in water using piezoelectric transducers and the opportunity to use shock waves to prevent the attachment of bio-species to hulls of ships. The program has four scientific objectives: 1) Define the maximum fouling-free area and distance possible with a single, ultrasonic transducer mounted 30 to 50 cm underwater, on target surfaces 1 to 15 meters distant. 2) Achieve low-voltage operation required for commercial deployment, using new transducers with low impedance in submersible housings. 3) Develop an ultrasound sensor in a waterproof housing to create a coherent array for full coverage. 4) Develop a prototype electronically steerable array demonstrating a significantly larger biofouling-free area than a fixed transducer element, to enable use on larger ships, such as commercial and military transport. A beam-steering solution will reduce the required number of transducers for increased functionality. The program will innovate in areas such as acoustic beam steering, electronic design of piezoelectric transducers, and electro/mechanical design for submersible housings.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.

这一小企业创新研究项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力涉及船舶的生物污损（水生生物的有害附着，如藤壶）。目前的污水处理方法既对环境有害，又成本高昂。有毒油漆可能污染我们的海洋和水道。减轻生物结垢的维护是劳动密集型的，昂贵的，并且有些危险。由于船舶运行期间的摩擦阻力，燃料成本增加可接近40%。 该项目将开发一种创新的电子方法，通过开发针对码头低压操作优化的潜水超声波换能器阵列来防止生物污损。 近期的商业机会来自码头所有者和全国范围内较大的码头运营商，长期的商业和海军军事运输机会，总目标市场约为100亿美元。该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将解决换能器阵列商业部署的挑战，以防止停靠在码头的船舶的生物污染，并将提高对使用压电换能器在水中产生声波的科学理解，以及利用冲击波防止生物物种附着在船体上的机会。 该计划有四个科学目标： 1)使用安装在水下30至50 cm处、距离目标表面1至15米处的单个超声波传感器，确定最大无污染区域和距离。 2)使用潜水外壳中的低阻抗新型传感器，实现商业部署所需的低电压运行。 3)在防水外壳中开发超声波传感器，以创建全覆盖的相干阵列。 4)开发一种原型电子可操纵阵列，展示比固定换能器元件大得多的无生物污染区域，以便在大型船舶上使用，例如商业和军事运输。 波束控制解决方案将减少所需的传感器数量，以增加功能。 该项目将在声束转向、压电换能器的电子设计和潜水器外壳的机电设计等领域进行创新。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。