NASA SBIR 2005 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
NexTech Materials, Ltd.
404 Enterprise Dr.
Lewis Center ,OH 43035 - 9423
(614) 842 - 6606

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Edward   Sabolsky
sabolsky@nextechmaterials.com
404 Enterprise Dr.
Lewis Center, OH  43035 -9423
(614) 842 - 6606

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In this SBIR Phase I proposal (Topic X9.01), NexTech Materials, Ltd. proposes to develop a high efficiency ceramic oxygen generation system which will separate O2 from the CO2-rich (95%) Martian atmosphere through a solid-oxide electrolysis process at 750-850?aC. The CO2 electrolysis process will produce O2 and CO. The O2 may be used for life support and as an oxidant (for a fuel cell power system), and CO may be collected and used directly as fuel (or converted to methane for use as a fuel). The electrolysis system is based on the Tubular Monolithic Ceramic Oxygen Generator (TM-COG) platform, whereby multiple oxygen separation cells are connected in series across both faces of a porous, flat-tube support. The design allows for simplified gas manifolding, sealing, and current collection and permits a high degree of cell stacking efficiency. In Phase I of the project, a prototype TM-COG module will be fabricated and the performance will be evaluated. The Phase I work will establish a foundation for work in Phase II, where a breadboard prototype TM-COG system will be produced and delivered to NASA that will be capable of producing 125 grams per hour of oxygen (or 1 kg per eight-hour day).

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Breathable oxygen is typically concentrated from air using bulky, loud concentrators or short-lived, expensive filters, or is supplied in bottles of high-pressure gas or cryogenic liquid. Replacing filtration technologies with the TM-COG system will extend mission life for spacecraft and space stations. Also, the ability to in situ generate oxygen from the electrolysis of CO2 gas streams or atmospheres has obvious applications for manned and unmanned exploration of Mars. The electrolysis process will produce both oxygen for human consumption (or engine/generator consumption) and carbon monoxide for direct use as fuel or as a reactant to form methane fuel.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
Laboratory, medical, and other hi-tech applications require high purity oxygen (>99.9%) and these industries account for 10-12% of the US and Western European market place. All of these markets typically use high-pressure or cryogenic cylinders, which carry annual maintenance costs as much as $300-1000 apiece and are very expensive to transport. Replacing these cylinders with a rugged in-house technology, like the TM-COG design, would have significant financial and convenience benefits. The TM-COG system is also applicable to air filtration and oxygen separation at biologically and chemically contaminated industrial and military sites, where continuous filtration without filter change would be beneficial.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Ceramics Earth-Supplied Resource Utilization Energy Storage In-situ Resource Utilization Portable Life Support