Smart Elastomer Seal with Remote Monitoring for Condition Based Maintenance

NASA is working on development of common infrastructure to support launches of multiple types of rockets with a focus on propellant management. In order to reduce cost and simplify service, autonomous control technologies are projected to perform functions such as anomaly detection, fault isolation, diagnostics and prognostics for critical components. Loss of integrity in propellant lines can cause great damage, as learned from the Challenger catastrophe caused by a faulty O-ring. There is a clear need for instrumented monitoring of critical seals in propellant delivery systems. During a NASA SBIR Phase-II project, AT-TEK developed a proprietary Gap Sensor to monitor flanged-gasketed joints by precisely measuring the gap between the flanges compressing the gasket. The sensor proved capable of detecting non-uniform gasket compression during installation, monitor gasket relaxation and loss of gasket compression force, and detect gasket fault conditions preceding the onset of leaks. NASA ground pipeline infrastructure supplies launch pads with propellants and gases commonly maintained at cryogenic temperatures (approximately -200 deg C). On the other hand, industrial applications such as nuclear power plants require monitoring of critical flanged joints operating at high temperatures (200-300 deg C). AT-TEK will adapt Gap Sensors for operation at extreme low and high temperatures. The condensation of moisture and frost on sensors in cryogenic applications will be mitigated by a semi-hermetic enclosure fed with a dry gas stream. Gap Sensor materials with high temperature ratings will be adopted in sensor construction. Establishing a correlation of Gap Sensor output with torque wrench measurements will provide a basis for replacing torque wrenches commonly used in various industries with a more accurate Gap Sensor. This innovation will integrate instrumented flanged gasketed joints into NASA propellant infrastructure and smart assets in nuclear power industries.

An immediate application of Gap Sensors is in NASA ground pipeline infrastructure employing multiple gasketed flanged joints that deliver propellants and gases to launch pads. The quality of flanged joint is hard to assess immediately after gasket installation, and even harder to monitor over extended time periods. Future applications include pipes and joints used in fueling spacecraft from orbital fuel depots, and in fuel pipeline infrastructure on extraterrestrial bases on Moon and Mars

Flanged gasketed joints are common in industrial pipelines for moving fluids or gases, including oil and gas infrastructure, refineries, power plants and liquified natural gas plants. Very significant monetary loss can be incurred due to leaks. Gap Sensors ensure the integrity of flanged joints, and are especially valuable in critical applications where leaks result in high remediation costs

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