NASA SBIR 2002 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN: (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Renka Corporation
Two Corporation Way
Peabody , MA   01960 - 7996
(978 ) 532 - 3800

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER: (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/ZIP, Phone)
Binoy Somaia
bsomaia@renka.com
Two Corporation Way
Peabody , MA   01960 - 7996
(978 ) 532 - 3800

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Optical fiber sensors, with intrinsic features of good electrical isolation and immunity to electromagnetic interference, lightweight, and compactness, are a perfect solution for detecting electrostatic potential and charge distribution generated on payloads, spacecraft and landers. Renka Corporation had successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using a distributed fiber-optic sensor system to monitor multi-point electrostatic potential and charging rate. The sensor system is based on wavelength shift of functional material jacketed FBG. A unique multi-channel WDM integration approach for FBG sensors is also proposed and demonstrated by a prototype 4-sensor system. This approach allows tens or hundreds of sensors to be integrated through an optical fiber and to share a single light source. In this Phase II program, Renka Corporation proposes to facilitate this technology into real application. We will fabricate a 16-sensor or 32-sensor prototype for field test. Marketing efforts also will be put for other applications of the developed technologies and products, such as the multi-sensor integration technologies, which could be very useful for large-scale temperature or pressure monitoring in oil fields or large-size civil structures.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The technology developed in this program will provide secure, safe and multi-point monitoring of spacecraft surface charging. This will be of benefit to NASA technologies on Electromagnetic Physics Measurements, Control, and Simulation. It is particularly useful for NASA missions where there is relative high plasma density and ease of electrostatic charging and sparking. The unique multi-sensor integration approach, which allows hundreds of sensors to be integrated into a compact system, can be used in many NASA systems that require a large number of sensors, such as multi-point temperature monitoring system for a spacecraft.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA APPLICATION(S) (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The distributed fiber-optic voltage sensing system will find great applications in military, industrial, and consumer sectors, such as voltage transducers for power transmission, electrostatic surface charge monitoring in semiconductor production, or measuring electrostatic potentials on film, polymers, and paper. Low-cost integration of hundreds of FBG sensors can be realized by the proposed unique demodulation technology. This multi-point sensor systems could include a temperature sensor system for an aircraft or strain monitoring system for a large-size civil structure, etc