Multi-Channel Long-Range Wind LIDAR

Advanced systems for wind sampling and measurement are a prime area for technical innovation. Applications range from atmospheric and climate modeling to aerospace vehicle design. Systems with higher temporal resolution and fidelity offer the ability to record increasingly transient atmospheric phenomena, leading to improved feedback for atmospheric modeling and for real-time adaptive systems for flight dynamics and wind power generation systems. Many of these applications are relevant to NASA’s goals and interests. Systems & Processes Engineering Corporation (SPEC) has proposed a Multi-Channel Long-Range Wind LIDAR system toward increasing the scan rate, and therefore the temporal resolution, of advanced Wind LIDAR systems. The proposed system scales up from a developed single-channel fiber optic based, eye-safe wind LIDAR, initially designed for UAV systems and brought to a bread board level through Army and NASA programs. The single-channel sensor assembly is composed of a fiber optic transceiver consisting of a narrow band seed, acousto-optic modulator for frequency shift and pulse forming, a three-stage erbium/yttrium-doped fiber amplifier, and a coherent receiver, all operating at an eye-safe wavelength of 1550 nm. For multi-channel operation, the LIDAR signal is split prior to the third gain stage. The system electronics and computational stack are in PCIe/104 format, allowing miniaturized light-weight packaging suitable for small UAV applications and the entire range of commercial and military aircraft. By further developing the capabilities of the proposed wind LIDAR system, specifically by increasing the channel count the overall system scan rate can be increased proportionately thereby improving the temporal resolution. The proposed Phase II effort will result in a working prototype at the TRL 6 level.

This Wind LIDAR will have high impact for NASA low altitude UAV applications and all aircraft for clear air turbulence and wind shear detection. Wind speed detection can be used during high altitude loitering to enhance mission duration. The small SWaP allow widespread platform applications. Another NASA application is tactical approaches for wildfire management. NASA is working with the U.S. Forest Service and USGS to be able to identify objects beneath forest canopies, particularly underbrush, that can act as a fuel source for forest fires.

The proposed system yields high fidelity atmospheric measurement leading to improved existing/future military and commercial aircraft design, and aiding weather forecasting and climate studies. Finding low turbulence flight paths in real-time operation will improve fuel economy and reduce airframe wear. Coupling with wind turbines can improve energy harvesting by optimizing turbine orientation.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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