Sensatek

High-Intensity Sensory Equipment to Service Aerospace and Power Production Industries. 

What makes combustion turbines’ internal environments so formidable is the heat and corrosive gases produced as a byproduct of kerosene combustion. Temperatures can reach up to 1,400 degrees Celsius, that’s 2,552 degrees Fahrenheit. And the caustic gasses consist of sodium, vanadium, and sulfate, which form a highly oxidizing environment that corrodes most metals. Most industrial grade heat sensors prove to be inadequate to stand up to these forces and leave companies in the aerospace and power production industries looking for a permanent solution.

Sensatek created a wireless sensing solution made of ceramic structures that can withstand the immense heat and corrosion. This wireless sensor also comes with a Resonator, wireless Resonance Frequency reader, and signal processing system. This setup can retrieve data from combustion turbines during peak heating and in 10 degree increments for a more accurate distribution of data.

When Sensatek started the UCF I-Corps process, they assumed that anyone with heat sensing needs would be interested in their product. The UCF I-Corps process advised Sensatek to confirm their product assumptions by reaching out to potential customers. After conducting over forty customer interviews, Sensatek realized that customers had significant concerns about the integration capabilities and ease of use of the ceramic heat sensors. Thanks to the UCF I-Corps program, Sensatek decided to create a wireless sensor that comes standard with an integrable, multi-function platform to better suit customer needs.

The Sensatek team was led by UCF’s Office of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering professor Linan An, Ph. D., as the Principle Investigator, and Reamonn Soto of Florida’s SBDC Network, as the team’s entrepreneurial lead. Spark Rocket Marketing’s Angela Kendall served as the team’s mentor.  Mark Ricklick, Ph. D., of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, David Olawale, Ph. D., of Nanotechnology Patrons Group, Xun Gong, Ph. D., of UCF’s College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Azryana Soto of KW Realty, and Aymbriana Campbell of the International Agriculture Program, comprised Sensatek’s team.

Looking Ahead:

Sensatek is being considered for the National I-Corps program and has been invited to present at the Defense Energy Innovation Summit & Showcase, as part of the Tech Connect Conference.