SBIR-STTR Award

SynGenics Corporation proposes a program that incorporates systems engineering processes, Response Surface Methods, and state-of-the-art numerical methods to develop optimized, fail safe technologies to control shockwave boundary layer interactions and demonstrate improvements in supersonic mixed compression inlet performance. Specific program objectives are to apply structured, mathematically based methods to evaluate, compare, rate, and downselect flow control concepts that will enable improved inlet stability and control shockwave boundary layer interactions in supersonic, mixed compression inlets, to develop and demonstrate an approach to flow control system design and optimization based on designed experiments and response surface methodology, and to obtain a better understanding of the physics driving supersonic inlet performance improvements enabled by fail safe, supersonic inlet flow control and quantify the benefit in terms of inlet total pressure recovery and dynamic distortion.The significance of this program is that it will provide inlet system-level assessments of flow control technologies, including stationary micro-devices, active devices, and hybrid systems comprised of stationary and active devices. In addition, this program will quantify flow control effectiveness in terms of total pressure recovery and distortion computed at the inlet/engine aerodynamic interface plane. This program supports the Propulsion Efficiency key research area of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Supersonics Program by working to develop fail safe inlet flow control technologies that will facilitate low TSFC of highly integrated supersonic inlets and improved overall cruise efficiency through reduced inlet drag.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) The advanced flow control techniques developed under this program support the Propulsion Efficiency key research area of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Supersonics Program by working to develop fail safe inlet flow control technologies that will facilitate low thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC) of highly integrated supersonic inlets and improved overall cruise efficiency through reduced inlet drag.

Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Fail safe advanced flow control technologies and guidelines developed under this program may be tailored to future high-speed commercial and business type aircraft employing mixed compression inlet systems. 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.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
Aircraft Engines Fundamental Propulsion Physics

SynGenics Corporation proposes a program that unites mathematical and statistical processes, Response Surface Methodology, and multicriterial optimization methods to design optimized, failsafe technologies to control shockwave-boundary-layer interactions and realize improvements in supersonic inlet performance and vehicle efficiency. The innovation described in this proposal is the development of SynGenics Optimization System (SynOptSys), a software product that will provide expert guidance to the user in the capture and documentation of response variables, identification of factors, and statistical design of experiments (DOE). Furthermore, the software system will assist the user in the analysis of DOE data, model building, diagnostics, and system optimization. The software will implement multicriteral optimization methods developed by SynGenics personnel, which will enable the simultaneous optimization of the flow-control (FC) system with respect to multiple, competing inlet-system requirements. SynOptSys will help designers and product developers overcome the barriers that prevent them from using powerful mathematical and statistical techniques to develop better products in a less costly manner. SynOptSys will implement the final task in a suite of methods developed by SynGenics to transform a need and candidate solution concepts to an affordable solution. Use of these powerful techniques enables the development of high-value systems. The significance of this program is that it will provide tools necessary to conduct multicriterial, inlet system-level-assessments and optimizations of enabling technologies, including, but not limited to flow-control technologies This program supports the Propulsion Efficiency key research area of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Supersonics Program by working to develop inlet FC technologies that will facilitate low TSFC of highly integrated supersonic inlets and improved overall cruise efficiency through reduced inlet drag.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) The proposed innovation supports the Propulsion Efficiency key research area of the NASA Supersonics Aeronautics Program. Moreover, it is applicable to any system whose suitability can be described in terms of measurable responses (e.g., stability, distortion, fuel consumption, cost, TRL, producibility) and that have associated factors that can be manipulated to influence the level of achievement of one or more of the desired responses. SynOptSys could be used for optimization of a high-temperature material, a mixed compression inlet system, an individual component within such a system, solution of acoustics problems associated with rotary-wing aircraft, hypersonic system concept optimization, and improving the return on investment of resources in physical testing and modeling, such as CFD. SynOptSys is also applicable to Long Range Strike Aircraft, and supersonic commercial and business aircraft.



Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Potential non-NASA similarly include optimization of any product with attributes associated with customers' perception of its value. If the suitability of the product or system can be described in terms of measurable characteristics (e.g., strength, wear resistance, taste, cost, number of defects) and if there are factors whose values influence the level of achievement of one or more of the desired responses, then SynOptSys can be used in its design and optimization. It is also likely that SynOptSys can be used in the design and optimization of the process to produce it. Examples include nearly all products manufactured and sold in the world. Examples include rubber formulations for tires and windshield wipers, a severance system for aircraft canopies, the shape of turbine blades in a jet engine, a high-temperature material for thermal protective systems or engine components, an alloy for a specific application, manufacturing processes for a broad range of industries. Ceramic products like bathroom fixtures and dinnerware, chemicals, ophthalmic lenses, food products, pharmaceuticals, commercial aircraft seating configurations, fluffy pulp for disposable diapers, laundry detergent, and an endless list of other products could be designed using the proposed innovation. 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.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
Aircraft Engines Expert Systems Fundamental Propulsion Physics