GENERATING SYSTEMS

MEMBRANE BASED INERT GAS GENERATING SYSTEMS FOR INERTING OF FUEL TANK ULLAGE SPACE TO CARRY A LOWER AIRCRAFT PENALTY THAN SYSTEMS BASED ON MOLECULAR SIEVES AND SYSTEMS BASED ON STORAGE OF CRYOGENIC NITROGEN. WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGY, APPROXIMATELY 30 LBS OF MEMBRANE MATERIAL ARE NECESSARY PER LB/MIN OF INERT GAS REQUIRED. MERIX PROPOSES A NEW APPROACH FOR PRODUCING A COMPOSITE AIR SEPARATION MEMBRANE WITH IMPROVED FLUX AND SELECTIVITY, WHICH SHOULD REDUCE REQUIRED MATERIAL WEIGHT BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE. IN THIS APPROACH, AN ULTRA-THIN SELECTIVE BARRIER IS DEPOSITED VIA GLOW-DISCHARGE ONTO A HIGH-FLUX MATERIAL UNDERCOAT SUPPORTED BY A PROOUS SUBSTRATE. EXTENSIVE WORK PERFORMED BY MERIX HAS DEMONSTRATED THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS APPROACH, AND HAS LED TO THE CONCEPTION OF A NOVEL GLOW DISCHARGE PROCESS WHICH SHOULD ENABLE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH SELECTIVITY AND PERMEABILITY OF MEMBRANE MODULES FOR O(2)/N(2) SEPARATION. THIS PHASE I PROPOSAL OUTLINES A PROGRAM FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF THIS NOVEL PROCESS, THE OPTIMIZATION OF THE MERIX COMPOSITE MEMBRANE, AND THE FABRICATION OF A LABORATORY SCALE TEST UNIT.