SPE water electrolyzers in support of the lunar outpost

During the 1970s, the SPE water electrolyzer, which uses ion exchange membranes as its sole electrolyte, was developed for nuclear submarine metabolic oxygen production. These developments included SPE water electrolyzer operation at up to 3,000 psia and at current densities in excess of 1,000 amps per square foot. The SPE water electrolyzer system is now fully qualified for both the U.S. and U.K. Navies with tens of thousands of system hours accumulated at sea. During the 1980s, the basic SPE water electrolyzer cell structure developed for the Navies was incorporated into several demonstrations for NASA's Space Station Program. Among these were: the SPE regenerative fuel cell for electrical energy storage; the SPE water electrolyzer for metabolic oxygen production; and the high pressure SPE water electrolyzer for reboost propulsion reactant production. In the 1990s, one emphasis will be the development of SPE water electrolyzers for the Lunar Outposts Currently defined potential Lunar Outpost applications for the SPE water electrolyzer include: SPE water electrolyzers for metabolic oxygen and potable water production from reclaimed water; and SPE water electrolyzers operating at high pressure as part of stationary and mobile surface energy storage systems

Documentation for the spatial analysis system (SPAN) for resource use by animals

Nearest-neighbor analyses have been used with mapped data f or tests of spatial dispersion and association i n plant and animal ecology. This paper full describes a computer software package developed to use Monte Carlo trials instead of chi-squared distributions for assigning probabilities to observed values of nearest neighbor statistics. The program can factor-out the unique geometry of resources in a sample plot,which can affect locations of animals, thus testing for direct patterns among the animals independent of their resource patterns. The Kappa statistic for association is a1 o calculated a1though its application has met with limited success. A users manual and the Fortran program language is included. (80pp.

University of Nebraska Medical Center: Collaborating with Campus Partners in Renovated Library

The McGoogan Health Sciences Library at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) completed a 14-month renovation of two of its three levels, while its top-level remains under renovation. Besides standard library space for studying and collections, the library engaged with campus partners in bringing different services to the renovated library. The newly renovated space includes spaces managed by a range of faculty and student services, such as an E-Learning lab, simulation labs, Faculty Commons, Writing Center, Maker Studio, Reflection Rooms, and inclusion space. These spaces provide library users a suite of services for collaboration and consultation with the library serving as a central campus hub

The Antarctic krill fishery : a techno-economic investigation

From a review of recent developments in the harvesting and processing of krill, an analysis is made of the market potential for the main products of a krill fishery, namely whole krill, tail meats, mince (particularly surimi) and meal. A techno-economic analysis of various catching - processing - product systems is made, in terms of costs and prices applicable in Western countries in 1977. The study finds that in practice the rapid spoilage rate of- krill after capture effectively determines that it should be processed on board freezer or factory trawlers. However, unless krill is marketed essentially as a crustacean product (even though in minced form) it is most unlikely to generate sufficient revenue to justify the high costs of its exploitation. Consideration is also given to the management issues raised by the exploitation of Antarctic krill in the context of the Southern Ocean. It is concluded that the quantities of krill likely to be taken by Western countries in the foreseeable future will be comparatively low. However. should the Soviets continue to expand their activities then even comparatively modest catch levels (of the order of a few million tonnes per year) could have a serious effect on Southern Ocean stocks, if not on krill, then on other species dependent upon this resource

The chemistry of Antarctic ozone 1960-1987

The factors that influence Antarctic ozone are examined with a view to understanding the observed historical trend. Researchers show that reduced ambient temperatures can dramatically enhance the efficiency of chemical removal processes. Attention is focused on positive feedback between levels of ozone, temperature, and rates of heterogeneous chemical reactions. ClO and its dimer, and high levels of these gases are maintained until the clouds evaporate, on 15 September for the simulation shown here

Hydrogen-oxygen proton-exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers

Hydrogen-oxygen solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) fuel cells and SPE electrolyzers (products of Hamilton Standard) both use a Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) as the sole electrolyte. These solid electrolyte devices have been under continuous development for over 30 years. This experience has resulted in a demonstrated ten-year SPE cell life capability under load conditions. Ultimate life of PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers is primarily related to the chemical stability of the membrane. For perfluorocarbon proton exchange membranes an accurate measure of the membrane stability is the fluoride loss rate. Millions of cell hours have contributed to establishing a relationship between fluoride loss rates and average expected ultimate cell life. This relationship is shown. Several features have been introduced into SPE fuel cells and SPE electrolyzers such that applications requiring greater than or equal to 100,000 hours of life can be considered. Equally important as the ultimate life is the voltage stability of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells and electrolyzers. Here again the features of SPE fuel cells and SPE electrolyzers have shown a cell voltage stability in the order of 1 microvolt per hour. That level of stability has been demonstrated for tens of thousands of hours in SPE fuel cells at up to 500 amps per square foot (ASF) current density

Hydrogen-oxygen proton-exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers

Hydrogen-oxygen SPE fuel cells and SPE electrolyzers (products of Hamilton Standard) both use a Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) as the sole electrolyte. The SPE cells have demonstrated a ten year life capability under load conditions. Ultimate life of PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers is primarily related to the chemical stability of the membrane. For perfluorocarbon proton-exchange membranes an accurate measure of the membrane stability is the fluoride loss rate. Millions of cell hours have contributed to establishing a relationship between fluroride loss rates and average expected ultimate cell life. Several features were introduced into SPE fuel cells and SPE electrolyzers such that applications requiring greater than or equal to 100,000 hours of life can be considered. Equally important as the ultimate life is the voltage stability of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells and electrolyzers. Here again the features of SPE fuel cells and SPE electrolyzers have shown a cell voltage stability in the order of 1 microvolt per hour. That level of stability were demonstrated for tens of thousands of hours in SPE fuel cells at up to 500 amps per square foot (ASF) current density. The SPE electrolyzers have demonstrated the same at 1000 ASF. Many future extraterrestrial applications for fuel cells require that they be self recharged. To translate the proven SPE cell life and stability into a highly reliable extraterrestrial electrical energy storage system, a simplification of supporting equipment is required. Static phase separation, static fluid transport and static thermal control will be most useful in producting required system reliability. Although some 200,000 SPE fuel cell hours were recorded in earth orbit with static fluid phase separation, no SPE electrolyzer has, as yet, operated in space