There is a great need of gas turbine engines and auxiliary power units providing improved performance, lower cost, better maintainability, and higher reliability. Foil air bearings do provide a promising choice in meeting these goals. Foil air bearingsare successfully being used in air cycle… More

Advanced high-speed gas turbine engines continually subject the bearings to extreme environments making bearings the life limiting component in the engine. Oil free foil bearings will improve weapon system range, reduce weight and costs, and increaseoverall system reliability. Foil bearings are… More

Advanced high-speed gas turbine engines are continually subjected to extreme operating environments making bearings a life limiting component in the engine. Oil-free foil bearings will improve weapon system range, reduce weight and costs, and increase overall system reliability. Foil bearings are… More

78600S The efficiency of solid oxide fuel cells can be increased by anode gas recycling. Therefore, in this project, a motor driven, high-temperature Anode Gas Recyle Centrifugal Blower will be designed, built, and demonstrated. A high-speed direct drive motor, combined with foil gas bearing… More

There is a great need of gas turbine engines providing reduced specific fuel consumption (SFC), lower production and maintenance cost, and higher power to weight ratio. Innovative gas path seals are required to meet these goals and improve performance. Traditionally labyrinth seals have been used at… More

The efficiency of solid oxide fuel cells can be increased with anode gas recycling, leading to a lower overall system cost. Therefore, in this project, a motor driven, high-speed, high-temperature Anode Gas Recycle Centrifugal Blower will be designed, manufactured and demonstrated. A high-speed… More

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), which provide significant advantages over other energy generation technologies, require blowers to provide motive force to incoming atmospheric air, in order to ovecome the pressure drop in various valves and heat exchangers, and in the fuel stack. The energy required… More

The proposed technology will reduce the size and weight of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power systems for unmanned air vehicle and munition (UAV) applications thus making future UAV's lighter and more fuel efficient. In addition, the proposed technology will further enable the Air Force's move… More

Large coal-fueled, central power generation plants based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology can increase their overall efficiency by recycling a portion of the high temperature (e.g., 800-850°C) cathode air effluent back to the incoming cathode air stream. This project will develop a Foil… More

The proposed technology will reduce the size and weight of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power systems for unmanned air vehicle and munition (UAV) applications thus making future UAVs lighter and more fuel efficient. In addition, the proposed technology will further enable the Air Force to move… More

Developing a quiet fan for Environmental Control and Life Support systems to enhance the livable environment within the spacecraft has been a challenge. A Foil Gas Bearing Supported Fan is proposed which will be quiet, efficient, reliable, contamination free, compact, and lightweight. In Phase I a… More

This program seeks to identify and demonstrate improved solid lubricant coatings for use on compliant foil air bearings for gas turbine application. The Phase 1 effort will be to evaluate selected coatings for improved low speed operation, typical of a gas turbine engine, and to investigate a motion… More

A low-cost helium circulator will be designed and demonstrated for use in High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) systems. The circulator design will feature an oil-free high-speed rotor supported on foil gas bearings. The basis for this design has been extensively used and demonstrated by R&D… More

Large multi-megawatt-size Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell power plants based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells are being developed and planned for the near future. The efficiency of these plants can be improved by recycling part of the high temperature (800 °C to 850 °C) cathode air or anode gas… More

Most medium and large commercial and industrial facilities use packaged water chillers of 50 ton capacity and higher for air conditioning and refrigeration. The current refrigerants used are HFC-134a or HCFC-123, which need to be replaced by an environmentally benign alternative that offers zero… More

A low-cost, low maintenance helium circulator will be designed and demonstrated for use in High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) systems. The circulator design will feature an oil-free high-speed fan supported on foil gas bearings. The basis for this design has been extensively used and… More

Most medium and large commercial and industrial facilities use packaged water chillers ranging from 50 ton capacity and up for air conditioning and refrigeration. Their current refrigerants are chemicals which will soon be phased out and replaced by environmentally benign alternative refrigerants… More

ABSTRACT: An oil-free bearing system can increase the reliability and decrease the cost and weight of high-speed cruise missile engines. Out of various oil-free systems the foil air bearing technology is the most suitable. Though foil air bearing technology is highly successful for lower… More