A critical need exists to reliably and immediately pinpoint and determine the onset, extent and rate of deterioration and actual leakage in thermal control systems during long-term space missions. The new and novel advanced Acoustic Leak/Failure Detection System (ALFDS) provides a viable solution. ALFDS, recently developed for oil and gas pipeline systems, has successfully provided automatic, remote, immediate pinpointing of the onset of leakage (critical flaws, etc.), and actual minute leakage in a variety of fluid systems (piping, hoses, etc.) similar to those used in spacecraft. This passive/active acoustic failure prevention system is based on recent research. Work in passive acoustics revealed that impending failure and actual leakage in fluid systems normally have high frequency, continuous and/or repetitious acoustic signatures that can be discriminated from considerable background noise using advanced signal enhancement techniques. These acoustic signals provide early alert of impending failure and actual leakage. Active acoustics can immediately identify significant structural defects, changes, and even lost components. Phase I provides in depth theoretical analysis, prototype system design and fabrication, and laboratory tests. A finalized computerized system for continuous, real-time monitoring will be developed and demonstrated in Phase II for actual spacecraft thermal control systems.STATUS: Phase I Only
