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TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Advanced Flow Meter for Extreme Environments (AFMEE) An advanced flow meter for use in extreme environments that eliminates cable design issues, protects sensitive equ... TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Advanced Flow Meter for Extreme Environments (AFMEE) An advanced flow meter for use in extreme environments that eliminates cable design issues, protects sensitive equipment, and allows the deployment of several flow meters. Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize AFMEE. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses and ultimately an improved way of life for the American people. Overview: This technology specifically targets advancement in an innovative flow meter technology capable of surviving extreme environments like molten salt reactors with high temperature and radiation fields. Flow indication is a key component for quantifying performance of any device that involves moving fluids. The molten salt nuclear reactor environment is aggressive chemically, thermally and radiologically. This provides many challenges such as materials of construction. Any part of the sensor in contact with the salt must be capable of surviving and operating in the environment and must also be compatible with other materials such as piping, insulation, etc. The electrical and signal cabling supporting the functionality of the sensor must also be protected/shielded appropriately. In the case of the new advanced molten salt reactors, the optimal location for flow measurement may be embedded within the reactor equipment which presents a design challenge for instrument and associated cable routing accessibility. Description: The proposed advanced flow meter for extreme environments (AFMEE) alleviates the need for direct mechanical, electrical or signal connection, thereby eliminating the instrument cable design issue and protecting sensitive equipment. The fundamental principal of the AFMEE flow sensor is based on two well understood physical mechanisms: fluid flow past an appropriately designed structure generates noise (signal), and this signal is transmitted by the surrounding structure and can be then detected large distances from the signal source. The novel AFMEE concept utilizes a passive mechanical device to generate an acoustic signal that is proportional to the flow, and a remote sensor that reads the signal. The resulting sound energy, or flow signal generated by the passive mechanical device, propagates through the structure can be detected at a large distance from the source using a remote acoustic measuring device. This device can be calibrated to focus on the known spectra of interest and filter other noise, and precisely indicate flow by measuring the average energy intensity of the selected spectra. Thus, the sensitive measurement instrumentation is a safe distance from the extreme thermal and radiation environments, significantly minimizing routine maintenance accessibility concerns and costs. Benefits: Alleviates the need for direct mechanical, electrical or signal connection, thereby eliminating the instrument cable design issue and protecting sensitive equipment. Each sensor can produce a unique and easily distinguishable signal, allowing flexibility to deploy several flow meters. Applications: Flow measurement in any challenging environment. Development Status: TRL 3. This technology is undergoing proof-of-concept work. IP Status: Additional Information INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities. Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov,