Ultrasonic thermometric measurement system for solid rocket combustion chambers

Yanlong Wei; Haijian Liang; Gao Wang; Wang Xingqi; Lu Yang; Hanchang Zhou; Luxia Yang; Xiaofang Mu; Guimei Yin

doi:10.1016/j.ultras.2021.106361

Ultrasonic thermometric measurement system for solid rocket combustion chambers

Ultrasonics. 2021 May:113:106361. doi: 10.1016/j.ultras.2021.106361. Epub 2021 Jan 19.

Authors

Yanlong Wei¹, Haijian Liang², Gao Wang³, Wang Xingqi⁴, Lu Yang⁵, Hanchang Zhou⁶, Luxia Yang⁷, Xiaofang Mu⁷, Guimei Yin⁷

Affiliations

¹ Science and Technology on Sensor Test & Intelligent Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Taiyuan Normal University, Taiyuan 030619, China. Electronic address: 18636136726@163.com.
² Department of Electronic Engineering, Taiyuan Institute of Technology, Taiyuan 030008, China. Electronic address: lianghj@tit.edu.cn.
³ Science and Technology on Electronic Test & Measurement Laboratory, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China. Electronic address: wanggao@nuc.edu.cn.
⁴ Inner Mongolia Power Engine Inst., Huhhot 010010, China.
⁵ Science and Technology on Electronic Test & Measurement Laboratory, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China.
⁶ Science and Technology on Electronic Test & Measurement Laboratory, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China. Electronic address: gdgc@nuc.edu.cn.
⁷ Science and Technology on Sensor Test & Intelligent Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Taiyuan Normal University, Taiyuan 030619, China.

PMID: 33548757
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2021.106361

Abstract

Solid rocket motor (SRM) temperature is an important physical parameter for which there is no reliable in situ measurement device, apart from a thermocouple, for such a high temperature environment apart. In this study, an ultrasonic temperature measurement system was designed with an iridium-rhodium-40% alloy waveguide. Laboratory experiments showed that the device obtained ultrasonic signals up to 1800 °C with a temperature fitting curve from room temperature to 1800 °C. The thermometer also operated stably under high temperature and produced a repeatable calibration curve, at 97% repeatability. An error band was obtained with 95% confidence. At temperatures above 1000 °C, sensitivity gradually increased to a maximum of 0.0035 µs/°C. A corresponding application structure was established for an SRM before subjecting the sensor to a temperature test experiment. The temperature-time curve obtained detected a peak temperature at 1744 °C.

Keywords: Iridium rhodium alloy; Solid Rocket Motor (SRM); Temperature; Ultrasonic thermometry; Ultrasonic velocity.