Novel Fuel System Icing Inhibitor with Enhanced Environmental Acceptability

Aspend Systems, Inc. proposes the program "Novel Fuel System Icing Inhibitor with Enhanced Environmental Acceptability". We will evaluate novel fuel anti-icing materials that perform equal to or better than current materials, including the design of biomimetic analogs of naturally occurring antifreeze proteins as non-toxic, environmentally compatible fuel system icing inhibitors (FSII). We will design, synthesize, test, and rank these for overally anti-icing effectiveness by measuring freezing point depression, ice growth inhibition, toxicity, BOD, and cost. These novel materials will be optimized to meet the specific requirements of effective FSII agents. Results on toxicity will provide an understanding of their environmental fate relative to ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) and diethylene glycol monoetheyl ether (DiEGME). We will use computer aided computational modeling to design a low cost synthetic analog. We will provide proof-of-concept for selected FSII's and validate their ability to meet military specifications including MIL-I-27686 and MIL-I-85470. We will also work closely with Fuels Branch, Fuels and Lubrication Division, Wright Laboratory, WL/POSF, in assuring we meet or exceed all required specifications. In Phase II, we will synthesize the most successful FSII candidate and continue with full-scale testing.