Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: To address the Navy"s need for a defoaming system, Physical Optics Corporation (POC)

Description

To address the Navy"s need for a defoaming system, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Automated Non-Destructive Foam Sense and Control Unit (DEFOAM) based on a novel low- and high-power ultrasonic detection and mitigation technique. The novelty of POC"s DEFOAM system lies in its multi-transducer beamforming approach, which results in a nonlinear effect at the intersection of multiple acoustic beams. This approach forms localized pressure and force gradients, which disintegrate the foam. Moreover, the system is entirely external, as it can operate through tank walls; it is also completely automatic, eliminating humans-in-the-loop. POC"s DEFOAM does not use any chemical agents nor does it require any modifications to existing tanks; it does not require opening the tanks to feed in deforming chemical agents. The DEFOAM system reduces shipboard crew labor and therefore, maintenance and ownership costs, directly addressing Navy requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of foam detection and counteraction capabilities by developing and testing a limited-capability DEFOAM prototype. In Phase II, POC will expand on this development, producing a fully advanced and field-deployable DEFOAM system, ready for certification and qualification, that meets the performance goals developed in Phase I.