A Fast-Response Atmospheric Turbulence (FRAT) Probe with Gas-Sampling Ducts, Phase I

The objective of this proposal is to design, construct and test a high-frequency-response air-data probe, the Fast Response Atmospheric Turbulence probe (FRAT probe) that will be able to operate in harsh and humid atmospheric environments. Both requirements, high-frequency response and resistance to water spray can be accommodated by mounting the pressure sensors flush with the probe surface. We will also conduct research on how gas-ingesting ducts can be incorporated in the design without interference with the measuring capabilities of the probe, and we will provide for the incorporation of Anasphere's CO2 sensor. In the first phase of this effort, we will also explore the market for sensors to measure humidity and other physical quantities recommended by NASA and NOAA that can be incorporated in the base of the air-data probe. Accelerometers, magnetometers, GPS, a computer and other electronic equipment will be included to estimate the rigid-body motion of the platform carrying the probe, and then calculate velocity components with respect to an inertial frame. The final product will be the preliminary design of a stand-alone piece of instrumentation, available for mounting on a platform to measure atmospheric turbulence and the fluxes of different species and thermodynamic quantities.

This instrument may appear useful in commercial micrometeorological applications that require the measurement of sensible heat, water vapor and trace gas fluxes, as they relate to air quality. This product will be readily available for mounting on any flying platform to measure atmospheric turbulence as part of environmental research or as it relates to aviation safety. Such measurements can improve our understanding of the high-wind boundary layer and the exchange of heat, moisture and momentum across the oceanic or terrestrial surface. Interest has been expressed by NOAA researchers to fly such probes into developing tropical storms. This equipment may also prove valuable in disclosing the fluxes of man-made or natural species, which are key elements of micrometeorology.

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