Award Data

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project concerns the development of a multi-wavelength monitor that will provide rapid, real-time measurement of the average aerosol absorption coefficient in the parcel of sample air. This monitor will employ Aerodyne's proprietary Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift spectroscopy technology in order to produce a far simpler, smaller, lower cost alterna ...

We propose to design, build and test an optical extinction monitor for the detection of spacecraft cabin particulates. This monitor will be sensitive to particle sizes ranging from a few nanometer to tens of micrometers in diameter. Designed to utilize commercial off-the-shelf components, the monitor, once calibrated, will require no recalibration and only periodic baseline determinations, a pro ...

Devising a means to reduce the fluence at the image sensor by a factor of 100 would eliminate the threat from all but the largest, cumbersome sources. We propose that the needed fluence reduction can be achieved by operating the existing imager at a strongly defocused setting, and applying hardware-accelerated existing state-of-the-art image deblurring algorithms to its data stream. Several exist ...

Ammonia has an important role in the chemistry of the atmospheric environment and air quality. Ammonia emissions are a major environmental concern, yet they remain poorly quantified. There is a need for a sensitive ammonia instrument to monitor emissions and evaluate their effects on the local and regional environments. An instrument capable of continuous monitoring is required to understand diurn ...

The objective of this work is to develop a compact, robust process that reduces the sulfur content of jet fuel to less than 10 ppm prior to its reformation and use in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fuel cell. The target power range of the SOFC is 2 kW. In addition to military applications, the desulfurization technology will be compatible for SOFCs used for emergency or backup power generation, ...

ARI is developing an aircraft exhaust sampling system that transitions condensable species to the condensed phase in a manner that mimics what happens when the exhaust is emitted into the atmosphere. Standard engine-exit plane measurements are not suitable for these volatile particles because they form downstream of the aircraft as the exhaust plume mixes with ambient air and cools. Downstream mea ...

Aerosol particles have important impacts on visibility, acid deposition, human health, and climate. A large fraction of the anthropogenic aerosol is generated from energy-related activities known to contribute a significant fraction of ambient aerosol mass in many locations. Black carbon, formed in combustion processes, is believed to have a particularly strong influence on the earth¿s climate o ...

Cooperative targeting technologies enable F18 strike aircraft and tactical UASs (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) to work together to provide close air support, particularly in close-quarters urban combat. VRAI (“Variable Remapping of Airborne Imagery”) ties together these assets more effectively, speeding-up the visual cueing and confirmation bottleneck, insuring 1st-pass success. VRAI digitally ...

Aerosol particles affect the radiative balance of the earth directly, by scattering and absorbing solar and terrestrial radiation, and, indirectly, by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. It is now recognized that the atmospheric loading of aerosols generated through human activities can exert an influence on the earth¿s radiation budget comparable in magnitude with greenhouse gases. However, unc ...

Aerosol particles have important impacts on visibility, acid deposition, climate, and human health, although large uncertainties remain in quantifying their chemical composition and atmospheric transformations. However, of the organic aerosol mass, only a small fraction has been compositionally resolved, and little work has been done on the volatility and partitioning of organic compounds between ...