Military

Technology That Makes a Difference

Military & Industrial Applications

Funded by U.S. Military, LURACO Technologies developed another version of MultiSENS™ that is used for engine hydraulic system monitoring in military Blackhawk Helicopter “UH-60”. MultiSENS-UH-60 was designed to improve the performance and service life of aircraft as well as reduce direct costs such as fuel, damaged components, and labor. Patent No. US 7,891,234 B1.

MultiSENS-UH-60 provides the military with an automated and intelligent solution to enable specific maintenance to be completed based on fluid and filter status. MultiSENS-UH-60 provides the user with intuitive visual indications of unsafe fluid contamination levels, temperature, and filter differential pressure. Sensor data is stored within the MultiSENS system and is wirelessly downloadable to an analysis software application so that the user can identify fluid and fluid filter deterioration trends.

MultiSENS-UH-60 Features:

• Measure multiple hydraulic filters and fluid parameters (pressure, contamination level, temperature), and perform on-board intelligent data processing
• Seamlessly replace UH-60 mechanical Delta-P indicators
• Estimate the remaining life of the hydraulic filter
• Advanced sensor technology, which eliminates mechanical-based modes of failure and improves accuracy
• Proper maintenance action must be performed before status LEDs can be reset
• LED warning and alert indicators
• Wireless data downloading
• GUI Software application (MultiSENS-VIEW™)

Technology That Makes a Difference

Military & Industrial Applications

With funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), LURACO Technologies, Inc. developed an infrared optical sensor “IR sensor” that will be used for engine fluid quality monitoring in U.S. military aircraft.

LURACO’s IR sensor will initially be targeted at Apache (AH-64) and Blackhawk (UH-60) aircraft. In the future, it may be integrated into other military aircraft as well as industrial processing equipment, construction equipment and vehicles, and energy generation equipment. Much of this equipment currently is not monitored. By using IR sensing technology to determine fluid maintenance needs, the military would have an accurate, lightweight, compact, rugged, and highly reliable system built right into the aircraft engine that could save millions in maintenance costs.

Infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy has been demonstrated as a suitable technique for lubricant and oil quality analysis. IR spectroscopy measures the unique absorption signatures of oil, from which their identity and concentration can be accurately determined. A preliminary investigation of infrared absorption spectroscopy for oil analysis using the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra of both unused and used oil samples acquired with FTIR instruments in the laboratory is shown in figure 1 & 2.

Infrared absorption spectra of both used and unused oil samples show an absorption structure that differs from sample to sample and is indicative of changes in the physical and chemical properties of the lubricant. These spectra can be used to monitor the depletion of oil additives, the formation of by-products through chemical reactions that might take place during the high-temperature operation of the engine, and any change in the oil’s hydrocarbon chemical structure. These results indicate that infrared absorption spectroscopy is a viable technique for oil condition assessment and warrants further experimentation and analysis to understand the origin of different species and the variation of their concentrations so that they can be spectroscopically monitored.

Using infrared optical spectrum analysis, concentrations of many contamination compounds in oil can be identified. Figure 3 shows the spectrum differences indicating changes in the concentration of contamination compounds at specified wavelength ranges.

Optical sensors provide superior performance compared to other technologies and allow a quick and cost-effective prediction of oil and fluid conditions. Oil and fluid analysis using optical spectroscopy by FTIR has been used in industry and laboratory. However, current FTIR systems are usually large and developed for laboratory use purposes only. In order to develop an in-line oil analysis system, the sensor needs to be compact. LURACO researched and developed a simple and cost-effective IR sensor architecture for aircraft engine fluid sensing to detect infrared optical absorption coefficient shifts as fluid degrades.

Technology That Makes a Difference

Military & Industrial Applications

Funded by the U.S. Air Force, LURACO Technologies demonstrated a novel distributed FADEC architecture for modern turbine jet engine monitoring and control in U.S. military and commercial aircraft.

Current centralized FADEC systems interface with numerous sensing and control elements throughout the turbine engine to provide optimal engine control, implement health management functions throughout the flight envelope, and at all stages of engine life. The FADEC is responsible for acquiring, scaling, and processing all data from engine sensors including the prognostics and health management functions of the sensors themselves. The focus of this research and development effort is to develop robust intelligent distributed FADEC technologies that can withstand the high temperature and vibration environment while embedded in the gas turbine engine, specifically capable of operating in minimum temperature environments of 1,200ºF and vibrations in excess of 500grms. The intelligent distributed FADEC will provide a network of smart sensor/control nodes. Each sensor/control node has the capability to distribute the signal conditioning, diagnostics, prognostics, health management functionality, and communicate through a standardized interface. The smart sensor/control nodes must be able to communicate to the propulsion system controller through a high-speed data bus and be able to withstand high temperature and vibration.

LURACO developed a proof-of-concept for the novel intelligent distributed architecture of FADEC for JET engine sensing and control that is able to withstand aircraft engine environments, network with various sensors, actuators, controllers, and interface with various sensor modalities and technologies.