Elimination of Carbon Monoxide From Pilot’s Breathing Oxygen

Naval aviators have a unique problem in that the necessary close proximity of aircraft on a flight deck can lead to high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the oxygen supplied by an on-board oxygen generator system (OBOGS). At levels above 100 ppm, the performance of a flight crew can be seriously impaired by CO. Under the proposed Phase I SBIR program, METSS intends to utilize newly developed catalytic technology to quantitatively oxidize any CO in the oxygen supply. The catalyst has already been proven in earlier work and is being commercialized in a few, unique civilian applications. This approach will involve commercial industrial support and thus, if fully successful, provide an effective path to provide the product to the Navy.