Project Title:

Surface Organic Contamination Sensor

13.01-4770
Surface Organic Contamination Sensor
Spectral Sciences, Inc.
99 South Bedford Street, #7
Burlington, MA 01803
Steven M. Adler-Golden  (617-273-4770)
KSC -- NAS10-11459

Abstract:

	 A non-contact instrument that can determine the quantity of organic contamination
on metal surfaces is required for use in liquid oxygen systems. The instrument must
monitor surfaces as small as 0.04 square inch, fit into 1/4-inch pipe, extend at
least 5 feet, and be sensitive to 1 mg per square foot of organic contamination.
The purpose of this project was to provide proof-of-principle for a surface organic
contamination sensor (SOCS) employing a sensing scheme that uses excited gases generated
in a electric arc at atmospheric pressure. These gases should react with the contaminants
yielding products which emit ultraviolet and visible radiation providing, thereby,
a measure of surface contamination. Both clean and contaminated test surfaces were
tested. Excited nitrogen discriminated clean and contaminated surfaces. The presence
of contamination was indicated by an increase in the radiation characteristic of
the CN radical. For the Phase I test set-up, the limit of detection for mechanical
vacuum pump oil was about 2 mg per square foot.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Application: The SOCS sensor could be used for detecting organic
or other materials on surfaces in industrial as well as aerospace applications which
utilize liquid oxygen or other potentially explosive oxidizers.