Novel Oxygen Pump for High Altitude Air Breathing Engines

In this SBIR program, a novel hydroxide conductive ceramic membrane is used in an oxygen compressor for air breathing high altitude engines. As compared to the oxygen compressor based on the traditional mixed electron-ionic conductive (MIEC) membranes, Reveo’ novel air pump can operate at much lower temperature (<150oC), can provide much higher oxygen flux and is far less expensive to fabricate. Since the state-of-art oxygen conduction ceramic membrane (MIEC type) requires an operation temperature more than 600oC, it requires integration into the combustion liner of the engine. Consequently, a major design change and therefore huge risk are involved. On the other hand, our oxygen generator can operate at ~ 150oC, the residue heat from the engine exhaust can be used to heat the compressor, the unit can be physically separated from the engine, which can significantly reduce the redesign requirement. Therefore, our novel oxygen pump is the best choice for the high altitude engine application. In the Phase I program, we have demonstrated the feasibility of using novel hydroxide conductive membrane to make the oxygen compressor for air breathing high altitude engines. In Phase II program, we will further optimize the oxygen pump components, fabrication processes, carry out system design, and integrate with a small engine to test the validity of the prediction made in the Phase I.