DEMONSTRATION OF BAKE-OUT ACTIVATED MICROPUMP FOR EXTENDED TWT SHELF LIFE

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO DEMONSTRATE AND VALIDATE THE USE OF A BAKE-OUT ACTIVATED "MICROPUMP" AS A MEANS OF EXTENDING THE SHELF LIFE OF TWTS TO AT LEAST 5 YEARS. FEATURES OF THE "MICROPUMP" INCLUDE: 1) BAKE-OUT ACTIVATED - NO SPECIAL PROCESSING OR POWER SUPPLY REQUIRED. 2) ADAPTABLE AS A LOW COST ADDITION TO ANY EXISTING TWT DESIGN. 3) NOT ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY HIGH LEVEL OF GAS EVOLVED BY TWT DURING BAKE-OUT. EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION OF THE "MICROPUMP" WILL BE CARRIED OUT USING ELEVATED TEMPERATURE ACCELERATED LIFE TESTING. INTERNAL PRESSURE OF THREE TEST VEHICLES CONTAINING "MICROPUMPS" AND THREE CONTROLS WILL BE COMPARED FOLLOWING THE ACCELERATED EQUIVALENT OF 7 YEARS SHELF LIFE.