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Cryogenic distributed temperature monitoring (Cryo-DSS)

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Navy
Contract: N65538-09-M-0070
Agency Tracking Number: N091-048-0833
Amount: $99,998.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N091-048
Solicitation Number: 2009.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2009
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2009-06-18
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2010-10-20
Small Business Information
1 Riverside Circle Suite 400
Roanoke, VA 24016
United States
DUNS: 627132913
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Bryan Dickerson
 Principal Investigator
 (540) 769-8400
 submissions301@lunainnovations.com
Business Contact
 Michael Pruzan
Title: Principal Investigator
Phone: (540) 769-8430
Email: submissions301@lunainnovations.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

To insure safe operation of new cryogenic superconducting degaussing cables , used to cloak the magnetic signatures naval vessels, distributed temperature measurements are needed every 1 m over 200 m lengths from 25K to 300K. Present electronic temperature sensors conduct heat into the cables, which can cause catastrophic failure in superconductors. Therefore, distributed fiber optic temperature sensors are sought that overcome the lack of thermal sensitivity in silica fibers at the cryogenic operating temperatures of high temperature superconductors. Luna will monitor temperatures along specially designed optical fibers without needing to write fiber Bragg Gratings into the fibers. Luna’s approach will decrease the fabrication cost of the distributed fiber sensors. During Phase I, the thermal sensitivity and optical properties of custom glass compositions will be demonstrated, so that in Phase II the full system will demonstrate distributed cryogenic temperature measurements. A key benefit of Luna’s approach is that it enables high spatial resolution to monitor the growth of non-superconducting zones in a winding, whereas alternative discrete fiber Bragg gratings can only monitor the proper operation of the cryostat.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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