| NSF Org: |
TI Translational Impacts |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | December 5, 2013 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | December 5, 2013 |
| Award Number: | 1346278 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Muralidharan Nair
TI Translational Impacts TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2014 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $207,172.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $207,172.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
40898 Abuelo Way Fremont CA US 94539-3822 (408)802-7489 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
650 Nuttman St, Suite 101 Santa Clara CA US 95054-2620 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | STTR Phase I |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will support the development of the hydraulic pressure harvesting mechanism combined with four-channel acoustic emission (AE) based leak and damage detection hardware along with power management electronics to enable self-powered wireless health monitoring in pipeline systems. By combining our theoretical simulation and experimental testing, hydraulic pressure energy harvester systems will be designed and optimized for characteristics of typical oil pipeline systems. Wireless AE-based leak detection and energy harvester systems will be integrated with impedance matching and optimal power management to achieve the maximum efficiency.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes significant cost saving for both the civil engineering and aviation industries by providing a cost-effective solution for damage detection and evaluation. Through our commercialization efforts, advances in the wireless sensing technology will permit researchers to utilize our technology to better understand degradation mechanism leading to material failure in large and complex structures. The low-cost, high sensitivity sensor technology will improve public safety as a result of cost-effective structural and material condition evaluation and diagnostics.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Pipelines are also vital infrastructure for energy transportation in the United States. They carry crude oil and natural gas from wells to refineries and transport petroleum products from refineries to cities and industries. The incidents of leaks might cause a considerable financial loss and severe damages to the environment and public health. Therefore, there is a considerable interest in nondestructive testing of pipelines to detect leaks at an early stage and prevent disastrous events such as contamination to the environment by released toxic materials. In collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Mistras Inc., during the STTR Phase I effort, Veraphotonics has developed an optical fiber based leak detection device with wireless data transmission and hydraulic energy harvesting capability for pipeline monitoring application. This work included demonstrating the fiber optic sensor’s high sensitivity to acoustic sound waves coming from pipeline leakage using sensor immersion method in pipes filled with water. In addition, a hydraulic pressure energy harvesting technique was successfully developed to provide milli-Watt levels of electrical power from hydraulic energy present in pipes. In Phase II the wireless optical fiber based leak detection system will be further optimized for field deployment in collaboration with Chevron Corporation.
This novel self-powered wireless sensor system will offer significant cost saving for both the civil engineering and aviation industries by providing a cost-effective solution for damage detection and evaluation. The low-cost, high sensitivity sensor technology will improve public safety as a result of cost-effective structural and material condition evaluation and diagnostics.
Last Modified: 01/08/2015
Modified by: Andrew Nguyen
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