MATERIALS ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES CORP. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF181-011

Description

The objective of the Topic AF181-011 is to develop a practical engineering solution to the issue of cross contamination between different heat exchange fluids, specifically aqueous potassium formate (Dynalene) and aqueous glycol (KOSTChill) which are essential for supporting test operations at Arnold AFB. Both fluids allow for the development of non-ambient conditions like those experienced in the aerospace environment to evaluate the performance of test articles. However, introduction of Dynalene as a contaminant in the glycol raises concerns about equipment corrosion and is known to lower heat transfer coefficients in exchange equipment, including the glycol concentrator. The objective of the program is to remove the Dynalene at a sufficiently high rate while preserving the glycol inhibitor package. Additionally, the proposed system should be transportable, have non-permanent connections with the existing Arnold AFB glycol storage tank, have the smallest practical footprint, will be easy to operate, be as simple as possible, require the lowest amount of power and other utilities, and have little to no need for operator interaction. Process design and evaluation will proceed in a methodical way starting with laboratory demonstration of concept. The results will be augmented through process simulation of the full-scale system to identify a preliminary