SBIR/STTR Research Award

A244-014 - Helicopter Expedited refueling operations (HERO)

Award identifier 5e197229fb0926084aa39e3b4b06715ca54e51f608fa09990de5c001557eec7eAwarding agency Department of Defense · Army

Award amount

$1,148,354

Program and phase

SBIR · Phase II – Direct to Phase II

Award year

2024

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Award details

Awarding agency
Department of Defense
Branch
Army
Recipient company
Beacon Industries, Inc.
Proposal award date
2024-07-03
Contract end date
2026-01-01
UEI
CDXXNKM674G5
Solicitation number
24.4
Topic code
A244-014

Research abstract

Beacon Industries Inc. proposes an innovative centrifugal pump system, distinguished by its wedge-shaped blades, to revolutionize the efficiency and reliability of Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL) transfer within military Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARP). This system is meticulously engineered to halve aircraft refueling times, enabling an impressive refueling rate of 100 gallons per minute (GPM) at eight service points and 200 GPM at four points, thereby markedly reducing the downtime of helicopter squadrons and significantly boosting mission readiness.   Our solution is an AI-driven Automated Control System, utilizing Reinforcement Learning (RL) to dynamically adjust flow rates and pressures within an unprecedented response time of under two seconds. This technological leap, supported by advanced protocols such as IFSF-LON and JSON over TCP/IP, alongside robust C#/.NET Core programming on a MariaDB database within a fog computing architecture, aims to reduce operational errors by 25%. Our system is designed to operate safely across a broad spectrum of ambient temperatures (-40 °C to 140 °C) and fuel temperatures (-20 °C to 80 °C), withstanding pressures ranging from 2 psi to 150 psi, thus mitigating the risk of fuel spills and accidents.   Furthermore, the pump system is built for durability and minimal maintenance. This is projected to operate for up to 10,000 hours before requiring major maintenance, thereby reducing system downtime by more than 30%. It also promises seamless integration with over of existing Army refueling infrastructures, utilizing standard interfaces without necessitating significant modifications. This ensures unparalleled compatibility and interoperability, streamlining the logistics of military operations and setting a new standard for POL transfer efficiency.

Technology keywords

Not reported

Other awards by this recipient

Verified by the same UEI. These are other public SBIR/STTR award pages, not a merged company record.

Awards with the same topic code

Verified by an exact topic code match. This is not a text-similarity match.

Research funding history

18 SBIR/STTR records share this UEI (2022–2025). Reported award amounts total $7,432,903. Reported amounts are not federal obligations.

Phases: Phase I, Phase II, Phase II – Direct to Phase II

Agencies: Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Agency intelligence

Department of Defense

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