SBIR-STTR Award

The proposed Phase 1 program will fabricate and demonstrate a small diameter single fiber endoscope that can perform high temperature thermal imaging in a jet engine turbine and combustor. Task work will design, fabricate, calibrate, and test the single fiber thermal imaging system in a 1000 C environment. Equipment needs will be documented in detail and system characteristics such as spatial and temporal resolution will be established. Feasibility will be established by demonstrating that a good thermal image of an illuminated high temperature target can be obtained. Imaging access to turbomachinery and combustors in during normal operation or even simple installation in a test rig would be an important advance in aircraft engine diagnosis. A prototype endoscope will be designed, fabricated, and tested in Phase 2.

A prototype high temperature, single optical fiber thermal imaging system will be developed, tested, and delivered to GRC. The components of the instrument will be specified in detail, designed, fabricated, and purchased where appropriate. The illumination and imaging system will be assembled and system tests will be performed. Given a set of calibration images produced by the diagnostic, the image analysis needed to recover a thermal image of a surface will be developed and demonstrated. System resolution tests will be performed. The thermal imaging laboratory system will be modified to be appropriate to a prototype commercial instrument. The thermal imaging prototype will be tested and debugged at Thoughtventions and its operating characteristics defined. The thermal imaging system and operating manual will be completed and delivered and field tested at GRC for their ongoing use.