NASA SBIR 2009 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Plasma Processes, Inc.
4914 Moores Mill Road
Huntsville, AL 35811 - 1558
(256) 851-7653

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Tim N McKechnie
timmck@plasmapros.com
4914 Moores Mill Road
Huntsville, AL 35763 - 1558
(256) 851-7653 Extension :103

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 4

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
The performance liquid propellant engines can be significantly improved by increasing both combustion temperature and pressure and reducing engine weight. State of the art Bi-propellant engines are metallic; the highest temperature combustion chambers are made of iridium/rhenium metals. Utilizing carbon-carbon composites for thrust chamber structures can reduce component weight by as much as 90%. Unfortunately carbon composites suffer from unacceptably high oxidation rates. Lining carbon-carbon chambers with a thin layer of iridium or iridium/rhenium is an innovative way to provide the oxidation barrier necessary to enable the use of carbon-carbon composites. This proposal evaluates using metal-lined carbon-carbon to produce high pressure, light weight thrust chambers.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Mars Ascent Vehicle, Altair Ascent Module, reaction control systems, in-space propulsion, attitude control, orbit maintenance, repositioning of satellites/spacecraft, and descent/ascent engines, nuclear power/propulsion, microgravity containment crucibles and cartridges.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Rocket nozzles for satellites and military. Metal lined carbon composite technology has applications for crucibles, heat pipes, propulsion subcomponents, x-ray targets, sputtering targets, turbines, rotors, furnaces, power generation

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Chemical Composites Metallics Micro Thrusters Monopropellants