Reuben Sandler, President and Chief Executive Officer of IOS, said, "We solved the problem of real time hydrogen leak detection inside and outside of the launch vehicle with a multi-point fiber optic sensor system, which is composed of a low-cost light source, standard telecommunications-grade optical fiber as the transmission medium and easy-to-manufacture optrodes with temperature sensitive indicators.

"By using optoelectronic sensors instead of electrochemical technology, we enjoyed several distinct advantages: First, since optical sensors require no power at the sensing point, there is no danger of faulty wiring causing a spark. Second, these sensors are immune to electromagnetic interference and operate effectively in a wide variety of media

"Third, optical fiber is flexible and resistant to temperature extremes and many caustic chemicals. Clearly, optical sensors are superior to the current technology utilizing electrochemical sensors connected to multiple monitoring units by copper wiring.

"This antiquated system increases payload weight and power consumption, not to mention the potential for explosion caused by electromagnetic interference or a simple spark."

"We made history by being the first to test successfully a fiber optic hydrogen detection system on a launch vehicle. IOS Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer Robert Lieberman and Lead Scientist Kish Goswami assembled a team that made the first phase of this extremely difficult and challenging program a complete success.

"We look forward to working with IOS on the second phase of this program and on future projects," said Alex Kazemi, Common Booster Core Advanced Product Development Leader at Boeing.

Sandler explained that liquid hydrogen, which is dangerously flammable and even explosive, is used as fuel in virtually all orbital rockets because of its efficiency and relatively low weight and that NASA has a critical need for a methodology capable of detecting potentially catastrophic leaks from cryogenic tanks and tubing containing high-energy propellants.

"The sensor system, which utilizes optical transduction technology, logs and processes data based on real-time inputs and stored calibration parameters. The sensor outputs are displayed instantaneously to facilitate immediate corrective actions.

"Multiple sensors are linked together to monitor a wide variety of critical points, and the innovative design allows the sensors to be effective in demanding operating conditions and confined spaces," Sandler added.

"The commercial opportunities for hydrogen sensing and cryogenic gas leak detection are expanding rapidly for various hydrogen fuel markets such as micro or portable fuel cells, vehicular fuel cells and stationary fuel cells.

"In the not too distant future micro hydrogen fuel cells will power tomorrow's cell phones, laptop computers and digital organizers. Closer at hand are portable fuel cells that will power larger devices such as gardening equipment, cordless tools, office devices and medical equipment. Vehicular fuel cells will power cars, trucks and buses.

"Stationery fuel cells will be designed to power anything from a highway sign to a house to an office building to an entire city. Safe hydrogen storage and distribution infrastructures will be needed. No matter what the size of the fuel cell or storage tank, hydrogen sensors will be needed to ensure safety," Sandler continued.

"It was a logical choice to team with Boeing on this project. Their long history as a leading ground breaker in aeronautical innovation provided IOS with an enviable base of knowledge and experience to help develop a safe, accurate hydrogen leak detection system for space launch vehicles.

"Our collaboration with Boeing on this project is an excellent example of our strategy to commercialize IOS's portfolio of intellectual property through partnerships, joint ventures and other affiliations. The proprietary optical communications, monitoring and signal processing technologies we have developed over the past decade also have exciting applications in medical diagnostics, fiber optic communications, aerospace and other industries with enormous growth potential," Sandler said.

Phase One of the hydrogen leak detection project was initiated at IOS by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the NASA Stennis Space Center followed by funding from Boeing. Further engineering of the system will be supported by a Phase Two SBIR grant, and commercialization of the technology is being funded by a CalTIP grant from the State of California.

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