TABS: Transfer-line Acoustic Bubble Sensing

Capability Need/Knowledge Gap: There's a critical need to detect harmful bubbles inside opaque cryogenic transfer lines for NTP missions, as current methods can't, risking turbopump failure and engine restarts. A real-time detection capability is missing. Objectives: Calibrate acoustic sensors on a water rig using video ground truth; derive a conservative bubble/no[1]bubble alarm threshold (ΔΓ) based on N₂ bubbles; benchmark this alarm's yes/no detection against video data.

Deliverables: (1) A conservative ΔΓ alarm curve (bubble/no[1]bubble threshold) with uncertainty budget; (2) a calibration data package (>100 runs) and validated analysis scripts; (3) a feasibility report detailing results, limits, Phase[1]II plan, and an AIAA abstract.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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