Omni-Directional, Wind and Water Tolerant Inlet for the DFU

In the proposed project, Enertechnix will develop optimized designs for an improved inlet for the Dry Filter Unit (DFU) capable of achieving high collection efficiencies for particles between 1 and 20 microns in diameter while functioning reliably on board naval vessels. This new inlet will be insensitive to wind direction and speed and will be tolerant of harsh weather and wave conditions. By incorporating a novel aerodynamic lens array aerosol concentrator, the proposed inlet will substantially reduce the power requirements of the DFU and allow the use of a much smaller blower while maintaining the current sampling rate. In Phase I, Enertechnix will perform extensive 2- and 3-dimensional CFD modeling to identify designs for the individual sections of the inlet that build upon a design developed by one of our collaborators (Prof. Virgil Marple at the University of Minnesota). Prof. Marple’s design has been demonstrated to have significantly better performance than the existing inlet but is susceptible to water infiltration. In the Phase I Option period, Enertechnix will model the complete inlet, will identify suitable low-cost fabrication methods and will develop a design for an experimental prototype to be tested in Phase II.