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An Advanced Cooling System for In-Situ Resource Utilization

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX09CD78P
Agency Tracking Number: 084391
Amount: $99,950.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: X7.02
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2008
Award Year: 2009
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2009-01-22
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2009-07-22
Small Business Information
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755-0071
United States
DUNS: 072021041
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Jeffrey Breedlove
 Principal Investigator
 (603) 640-2442
 jfb@creare.com
Business Contact
 James Barry
Title: President
Phone: (603) 640-2487
Email: contractsmgr@creare.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

NASA plans to produce cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen to power regenerative fuel cells for lunar surface exploration. The oxygen and hydrogen will be produced by electrolysis of water from In Situ Resource Utilization reactors. The electrolysis products will be warm high-pressure gases, requiring significant cryocooler power to achieve the desired storage conditions. This power can be reduced by expanding the gases adiabatically from the electrolysis pressure to storage pressure. We propose to develop innovative turboalternators to maximize this effect and convert the extracted fluid power into useful electric power. Small flow rates and high fluid densities require turbine rotors that are extremely small and operate at high speeds. Cryogenic gas bearings and miniature rotor fabrication techniques are key features that create high efficiency in our approach. The gas bearings also enable reliable, long-life, maintenance-free operation. The proposed development will leverage decades of Creare experience with cryogenic gas-bearing turbomachines. In Phase I, we will develop optimized turboalternator designs by conducting trade studies, specifying design details, analyzing performance, and demonstrating bearing operation with two-phase rotor flow. During Phase II, we will fabricate a prototype turboalternator and measure its performance at representative operating conditions.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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