Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Low Power Miniature Colloidal High Vacuum Pump
Project Description
Shortly after NASA made the most recent planetary science SBIR topics public, we began discussing the possibility of translating our experience in maximizing momentum transfer by specialized electrospray jets into a vacuum for micro-satellite propulsion as a new alternative to the diffusion pump concept. Indeed, what is currently being done for "colloidal propulsion" parallels the requirements for an effective vapor-jet pump. The attractive feature of colloidal droplets produced by the electrospray phenomena is significant. Principal among these is the lack of volatility of the working fluid, negating the need for diffusion pump heater concepts, and the ability to produce ions or droplets at a known velocity that exceed the thermal velocity of target pump gases using only milliwatts of power. Over the past 30+ years, no significant advance in vacuum pump concepts save for the turbo-molecular pump has been realized. The proposed technology offers a potential for game-changing new technology that may obviate a turbo pump in many applications while promising to provide significant cost savings with unprecedented reliability and longevity.
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Anticipated Benefits
Spacecraft laboratories, such as on the ISS, could benefit greatly from the success of the proposed technology. Using the vacuum of space for an analytical instrument is highly undesirable due to the safety factor of deliberately creating any leaks on a spacecraft or space station, and the discharge of atmospheric gases could affect the space vessel station keeping or trajectory. As a result, there is a need for a means to create a vacuum for analytical devices such as mass spectrometers used on the ISS, probes for interplanetary missions, and possible future hand-held use by astronauts. The proposed electrospray diffusion pump offers the potential to be applied to all aforementioned applications.
Over the past decade, especially the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there has been an increasing demand for sensitive chemical, biological, and explosive detection devices. Mass spectrometers, unlike some spectrometers such as ion mobility (IMS), require a partial pressure region to scan for a given mass number indicative of the trace species of interest. Probably the most significant hurdle yet to overcome is how one can create a cost effective, small, and low power vacuum system to make mass spectrometers portable. The proposed technology offers a radical new method to achieve cost, weight, power, and compatibility goals for a new generation of portable analytical instruments. More »
Over the past decade, especially the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there has been an increasing demand for sensitive chemical, biological, and explosive detection devices. Mass spectrometers, unlike some spectrometers such as ion mobility (IMS), require a partial pressure region to scan for a given mass number indicative of the trace species of interest. Probably the most significant hurdle yet to overcome is how one can create a cost effective, small, and low power vacuum system to make mass spectrometers portable. The proposed technology offers a radical new method to achieve cost, weight, power, and compatibility goals for a new generation of portable analytical instruments. More »
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Analytical Corporation | Lead Organization | Industry | Bethany, Connecticut |
| Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) | Supporting Organization | FFRDC/UARC | Pasadena, California |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
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California
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Connecticut
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