Sub-zero Temperature, Small Form Factor, CO Oxidation Reactor for Decontamination of Pilot''s Oxygen

This proposal addresses the Navy’s desire for CO mitigation in the breathing oxygen supplied to aviators. The current onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS) is ineffective at removing CO from the pilot’s oxygen supply during the take-off procession when the OBOGS is operating at low pressure and ingesting significant amounts of CO from the exhaust of other aircraft. Mainstream believes that the best solution is one that has virtually zero impact on the fluid dynamics of the existing OBOGS. Some CO removal methods require substantial pressure differentials to operate and would require a complete redesign of the OBOGS. Therefore, Mainstream believes that a low-pressure-drop CO oxidation reactor (COOR) that catalytically converts CO to CO2 is the most practical solution. Mainstream has already identified a catalyst that can achieve 100% CO oxidation at temperatures as low as -50°C (-58°F) and will demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed catalyst in Phase I. Mainstream proposes to deposit the catalyst on a polymeric foam that will be the heart of the COOR unit. The COOR is approximately 1.25” in diameter and 4” long and can oxidize all of the CO ingested by the OBOGS prior to its reaching the pilot’s mask.