LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF191-028

Description

Aircraft fuel is one of many critical components required to ensure fleet readiness in the Air Force. As a result of the high demand for fuel, military aviation is increasingly reliant upon readily available commercial-grade fuels supplied from a number of disparate sources as opposed to fuels specifically formulated per military specifications. Since commercial grade aviation fuel formulations do not adhere to the strict requirements of the military, fuels often arrive with unspecified levels of metal deactivator additive (MDA), an additive used in military fuels to control and maintain thermal stability. Ideally, airmen in theater would use a field-level MDA detection tool to quantify concentrations at the point of fuel use to determine whether fuels meet military specifications. To meet this need, Luna proposes development of a field-level tool, MDAnalyst, for detection of MDA using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV-absorption detection techniques. This robust, field-ready system couples an accurate, reliable measurement technique with a robustly engineered enclosure to create an intuitive, portable toolset for MDA analysis in any location. The Phase I project will focus on system design, proof of feasibility, and technology transition planning, ultimately culminating in a feasibility demonstration at the conclusion of the effort.