Federal award (DEFINITIVE CONTRACT, fiscal year 2021)
Recipient: PRECISION COMBUSTION, INC.
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2018-06-04 to 2022-08-13
Current total value of award: $1119134
Description: E014042 PRECISION COMBUSTION, INC. (PCI) PROPOSES TO DEVELOP AND ADVANCE A HIGHLY EFFICIENT REGENERATIVE SOLID OXIDE STACK DESIGN. NOVEL STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS ALLOW REFORMING OF REGOLITH OFF-GASES (E.G., METHANE AND HIGH HYDROCARBONS) WITHIN A SOLID OXIDE STACK AS WELL AS EFFICIENT H2O/CO2 ELECTROLYSIS, OVERCOMING SHORTCOMINGS OF TRADITIONAL APPROACHES. THE RESULTING DESIGN OFFERS THE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT-WEIGHT AND SIMPLE DESIGN WITH HIGH EFFICIENCY AND DURABILITY. THIS EFFORT WOULD BE VALUABLE TO NASA AS IT WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE KNOWN SPACECRAFT TECHNICAL RISKS AND INCREASE MISSION CAPABILITY/DURABILITY/EFFICIENCY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME INCREASING THE TRL OF REGENERATIVE SOLID OXIDE SYSTEMS FOR ISRU APPLICATION. THE TECHNOLOGY CONCEPT OF OUR HIGHLY-EFFICIENT REGENERATIVE SOLID OXIDE STACK WAS DEMONSTRATED IN PHASE I AND WILL BE ADVANCED IN PHASE II.