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High Efficiency, High Output Plastic Melt Waste Compactor (HEHO-PMWC)

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX10CC47P
Agency Tracking Number: 094539
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: X2.02
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2010-01-29
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2010-07-29
Small Business Information
Space Center, 1212 Fourier Drive
Madison, WI 53717-1961
United States
DUNS: 196894869
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Jeff Johnson
 Principal Investigator
 (608) 229-2828
 johnsonj@orbitec.com
Business Contact
 Thomas Crabb
Title: Business Official
Phone: (608) 827-5000
Email: johnsond@orbitec.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

ORBITEC proposes to develop processes and waste heat recovery techniques to be incorporated into the existing Plastic Melt Waste Compactor (PMWC) to increase efficiency and throughput. The end goal will be to incorporate these processes and techniques into the PMWC system developed by Ames Research Center (ARC).
The PMWC has shown to be the best technology for waste management for space applications. It can compress, recover water, and stabilize the waste in one compact system. Even though the PMWC has been built and is being tested by ARC, many technical challenges remain. This Phase I effort is in response to those challenges to increase the PMWC Technology Readiness Level significantly by the end of Phase II.
During Phase I much will be done by computational analysis to analyze the best materials to minimize heat losses and how to most effectively add forced air convection to the process. A benchtop simulator will also be developed and tested to more accurately quantify and validate the computational results. Phase II will expand upon these efforts by incorporating the Phase I designs into the current PMWC or by constructing a next generation PMWC, which will have a TRL of 5 or 6.

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

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