Coupling device

Releasable coupling device designed to receive and retain matching ends of electrical connector

Space suit heat exchanger Patent

Space suit body heat exchanger design composed of thermal conductance yarn and liquid coolant loop

Tool repairs tube components in situ

Two versions of a portable tool repair the seats of tube fittings and the flared ends of tubing. Each version operates on the principle of lapping to remove imperfections from tube and fitting interfacing surfaces

Extravehicular tunnel suit system Patent

Design and development of flexible tunnel for use by spacecrews in performing extravehicular activitie

Ethanol internal reforming in solid oxide fuel cells: A path toward high performance metal-supported cells for vehicular applications

Internal reforming of ethanol fuel was investigated on high-performance metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFCs) with infiltrated catalysts. The hydrogen concentration and internal reforming effects were evaluated systematically with different fuels including: hydrogen, simulated reformate, anhydrous ethanol, ethanol water blend, and hydrogen-nitrogen mixtures. A simple infiltration of Ni reforming catalyst into 40 vol% Ni-Sm0.20Ce0.80O2-δ (Ni-SDCN40) and fuel-side metal support leads to complete internal reforming, as confirmed by comparison to simulated reformate. The performance difference between hydrogen and fully-reformed ethanol is attributed entirely to decrease in hydrogen concentration. High peak power density was achieved for a range of conditions, for example 1.0 W cm−2 at 650 °C in ethanol-water blend, and 1.4 W cm−2 at 700 °C in anhydrous ethanol fuel. Initial durability tests with ethanol-water blend show promising stability for 100 h at 700 °C and 0.7 V. Carbon is not deposited in the Ni-SDCN40 anode during operation

Mobile sampler for use in acquiring samples of terrestrial atmospheric gases

Samples of terrestrial atmospheric gasses from a free body of such gasses using a device characterized by a plurality of tubular bodies adapted to be mounted in side by side relation on a motorized highway vehicle in mutual parallelism with the axis of the normal path of travel for the vehicles. Each of the bodies is of a cylindrical configuration and has an axial opening at each of its opposite ends through which a linear flow path is defined. A pair of pivotally supported, spring-biased sealing caps is mounted adjacent to the ends of the body and continuously urged into a hermetic sealing relationship. A restraint for securing the caps against spring-urged pivotal displacement, includes a separable, normally tensioned line interconnecting the caps and an operable release mechanism for simultaneously releasing the caps for spring-urged displacement. A hot wire cutter is included for separating the line, whereby samples of air are trapped in the body as the caps are spring-driven to assume an hermetically sealed relation with the openings defined in each of the opposite ends of the body

Multiedge slitter for FCC

Tool cuts multiple slits up to 3 in. long between conductors of flat conductor cables up to 3 in. wide to prepare them for termination on terminal boards or in multipin connectors