Advanced Radiometer For Cloud Liquid Water and Aircraft Icing Detection, Phase II

Aircraft icing continues to be one of the major safety and operational concerns of the FAA, elements of the military, and the foreign military and civilian counterparts. Attempts to develop methods to directly detect aircraft icing meteorological conditions have met with mixed success. Combining ground-based microwave radiometers with radars has shown great promise, but deficiencies of the radiometers have limited their value. In our Phase I effort we have determined solutions to several technical challenges in the design of a narrow beam multi-waveband radiometer that is to operate in concert with weather radars. We have also calculated optimum eigenfrequencies for detection of aircraft icing conditions. In Phase II we will construct a turnkey fast sampling multifrequency profiling and dual polarization narrow beam radiometer system. In this radiometer system, all beams are collinear and match the antenna gain pattern of weather research radars. The radiometer will have the capability of profiling (ranging) water vapor along the beam as well as discriminate ice and water phase hydrometeors. We will also develop a fast beam steering system to operate in concert with the radar. The turnkey radiometer system and documentation are deliverables.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications: The ground-based radiometric system developed herein, as well as being a valuable research tool, is to be operated with radars such as NEXRAD and Terminal Doppler Weather Radars (TDWRs) to detect and quantify cloud liquid water and ice in single- and mixed-phase conditions aloft. In addition to detecting icing conditions enroute and in approach regions, the system can forewarn and nowcast the need (or lack of need) to apply deicing solutions in advance of departure, creating savings and reducing delays. This quantification will also enhance weather nowcasting and predictive capabilities. This large aperture narrow beam radiometer design is also applicable to characterizing and quantifying satellite link loss due to atmospheric absorption, and Radiometrics has had several inquiries for such a design in wavebands from 8 to 32 GHz, demonstrating a commercial market for this application.

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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