Compact High-Pressure CO₂ Compressor for Aviation Thermal Management Systems

Description

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 3.5 of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. The objective of this effort is to design and develop a compact, aviation‑grade CO₂ compressor capable of meeting the unique thermal management demands of military aircraft. The compressor must support high‑pressure transcritical CO₂ cycles while remaining lightweight, compact, and highly efficient over a wide range of heat loads. The project will evaluate potential options such as (but not limited to) scroll, semi‑hermetic reciprocating, and screw compressor architectures, assessing their respective benefits and challenges, including efficiency, vibration, noise, reliability, turn-down, and high‑pressure capability, to identify the most suitable design for aviation applications. The selected compressor shall support mission heat loads up to 200 kW with a turndown ratio of 3:1 (threshold) and 4:1 (objective), maintain the TMS outlet temperature at 20 °C ± 5 °C under dynamic loads, and reject heat to a 50 °C sink during transcritical (R-744) operation using a gas cooler as needed. The compressor shall be lightweight, compact, low-noise, and demonstrate high isentropic efficiency at the design point.