Overview
ActiPPTSens consortium will established the technology benchmark on smart sensors for pressure, position and temperature measurement, based on the specification of NEWAC, DREAM and TEENI. Sensor technologies and their main features will be analysed and captured into a Sensors Technology Comparative Matrix, after the specification definition. The promising sensors technologies will be chosen for the prototype development. ActiPPTSens project have been structured as follow:
Specification definition - The specification will be based on the public deliverable of project NEWAC, DREAM , VITAL and TEENI (new turboshaft concept) and TURBOMECA guideline as leader of the SAGE5 ITD;
Benchmark of technologies - analysis of the existing technologies in the sensors field. Emerging or critical sensors technologies of several sector will be considered;
and Prototype fabrication - Smart sensors prototypes of the selected technologies will be fabricated for their test in IDT SAGE 5 demonstrator.
The initial technologies that the ActivePPTSens consortium considers as potential candidates for the prototype fabrication are:
- Contactless Torque Sensor CTS, develop and patented by CEDRAT as technology was initiated for PSA. The CTS Contactless Torque Sensor measures the torque and the rotation speed of either a stationary axle or a rotating shaft without contact.
- Piezoelectric MENS sensors, underdevelopment by INASMET-Tecnalia and ICV-CSIC. Piezoelectric sensors based on electrospun PZT nanofibers show higher pressure sensibility, longer life cycle, easy integration under structural elements and complex geometrical shape capability.
- FBG devices, Fibre Bragg Grating technology with high embedding capability is under study for rotor blades or disks for the monitoring of aerial vehicles engine. The impact of the sensors technology to be develop in ActiPPTSens project would extend far beyond the consortium because of their impact in the cost saving and their transference to aerial vehicle
Funding
Results
Final Report Summary - ACTIPPTSENS (Active Pressure, Position and Temperature sensors for Turboshaft engines.)
Executive Summary:
Turboshaft noise and toxic gas emission reduction require monitoring technologies for fuel consumption and power transmission optimization that can accurately measure pressure, position and temperature with the view of advancing in the a new turboshaft concept for a new green and silent helicopter family. The overall objective of the ActivePPTSens consortium is to develop a demonstrator in the field of new sensors technologies for pressure, temperature and position with the main aim of providing improved technologies for safety, reliability and reduced environment impact of air-engines.
In order to achieve this goal, the project's approach has been to identify and define first the specifications, for the sensors to be developed for turboshaft engines, for the measurement of temperature and pressure of air, fuel and oil and of shaft speed based on inputs from the Topic Manager and provide an in-depth analysis of the several existing technologies found on the market for the adopted sensors in the frame of the project. This analysis included the state of the art of the commercial products, analysis of the commercial products with respect to the specifications, discussion of the main criteria of selection, elaboration of a final comparative matrix and recommendations. After a preliminary cost analysis of the project prototypes, R&D work is carried out to develop a contactless torque sensor to measure the torque and the rotation speed of either a stationary axle or a rotating shaft without contact using stationary electronic components and a piezoelectric MEMS pressure sensor based on the completely new development using electrospun piezoelectric nanofibers to obtain a higher pressure sensibility, easy integration under structural elements and complex geometrical shape capability and incorporation of a Pt100 thermocouple under IDE electrodes for measuring the operating temperature.
A new contactless torque sensor demonstrator has been developed providing an improved overall sensing performance. Its main innovative features are that torque is measured without contact with the shaft, uses and innovative torque sensing technology based on a deformation mechanical converter to amplify the small angular displacement and its placement in the shaft is non-intrusive and weight in line with other commercial products. However, the price is, nowadays, not competitive due mainly to the low scale product. Regarding the overall goal of developing a pressure sensor with the active element would be entirely new and made from piezoelectric nanofibers has been achieved with the correct microstructure, has been accomplished and is a significant step in going beyond the state of the art.