NASA STTR 2010 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (SBC):		RESEARCH INSTITUTION (RI):
NAME:	Luminit, LLC	NAME:	Southern Methodist University
STREET:	1850 W. 205 Street	STREET:	6425 Boaz Lane
CITY:	Torrance	CITY:	Dallax
STATE/ZIP:	CA  90501 - 1526	STATE/ZIP:	TX  75205 - 0302
PHONE:	(310) 320-1066	PHONE:	(214) 768-2033

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Dmitry Voloschenko
kyu@luminitco.com
1850 West 205 Street
Torrance, CA 90501 - 1526
(310) 320-1066

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 0
End: 2

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
To address the NASA need for innovative methods to measure liquid propellant tank volume and tank fluid level with improved accuracy, repeatability, and minimal tank entries for maintenance and calibration, Luminit, LLC, proposes to develop a new non-contact Luminit Optical Tank-level Sensing system (LOTS), based on the optical measurement of a small spotlight shone on the surface of the liquid. This approach incorporates commercial off-the-shelf components and Luminit opto-mechanical design, which enables us to meet NASA requirements for a novel liquid level sensor for low-density fluids such as liquid hydrogen, and offers the possibility of remote operation, compact size. In Phase I, Luminit will demonstrate the feasibility of accurate measurement of a low-density fluid by building and testing a proof-of-concept prototype, which will reduce development risk in Phase II. In Phase II, Luminit plans to build a functional prototype for cryogenic liquid level measurements. The demonstrated results will offer NASA a replacement for the multiple float switches currently in use. LOTS is expected to be at TRL 2 by the end of Phase I, with the results of this project paving the way to reach TRL 6 by the end of Phase II.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
LOTS can be successfully applied to measure liquid level of both conventional and cryogenic liquids.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
LOTS can be used for liquid level measurements in fuel tanks, in ship-board containers, and in potable water containers.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)

Adaptive Optics Analytical Instruments (Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, Energy; see also Sensors) Cryogenic/Fluid Systems Display Multispectral/Hyperspectral Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE; NDT) Spacecraft Design, Construction, Testing, & Performance (see also Engineering; Testing & Evaluation) Visible