SiC pressure sensor for detection of combustor thermoacoustic instabilities [aircraft engine applications]

We have utilized a single crystal silicon carbide (SiC) pressure sensor to validate the existence of thermo-acoustic instability at 310 Hz in a combustor test rig operating at 420 °C and about 180 psi. The MEMS SiC pressure sensor was packaged by the direct chip attach (DCA) method, which eliminated the wire bonding process and the reliability issues associated with it when exposed to high temperature and high vibration environments. The result obtained by using this un-cooled SiC pressure sensor was in excellent agreement with the result obtained from a water-cooled piezoceramic pressure transducer located in close proximity to the SiC sensor. This result provides further confirmation of the viability of a robust SiC pressure sensor with less complex packaging for application in high temperature and high vibration environments.