Distributed High-Temperature Fiber-Optic Temperature Sensing System for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

To meet NASA’s NTP objectives for spaceflight missions, IFOS proposes Reactor*Sense™ as a rugged, miniaturized, multi-function, and multiplexable high-temperature sapphire optical fibers (SOF)-based Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) system. The system will be designed for the extreme operating environments with Phase I design for 1,800°C and Phase II design for ~ 2,800°C. The use of Raman sensing also enables growth provisions to add spectroscopic measurements of species. Reactor*Sense™ has a miniaturized photonic integrated interrogator that will be placed remotely in cooler regions (< 200°C). The Reactor*Sense™ photonic, ultra-high-speed signal processing uses IFOS' massively-parallel Photonic Spectral Processing (PSP) in Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) architecture, eliminating conventional speed bottlenecks and providing breakthrough system miniaturization for spaceflight missions.

Rocket*Sense™ will enable accelerated NTP development to support NASA’s human exploration missions, including reduced time to Mars. The Rocket*Sense™ technology will also be applicable to NASA’s propulsion and flight research programs, offering enhanced awareness of key parameters often out of reliable reach of conventional sensors due to the harsh environments involved.

The IFOS technology will benefit both military and commercial engine applications by providing the sensing scalability required to keep pace with next-generation propulsion systems. It is also applicable to DOE's power generation/management, renewable energy, and fossil fuel programs.

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