ROCKLEDGE, FL – November 24, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a leading research and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the Army to demonstrate a modular reconfigurable thermal system that will control the temperature of the electronics used for Army signal intelligence and electronic warfare devices.

As Army signal intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic warfare (EW) continue to evolve, significant improvements in thermal technologies at the device level have provided higher heat flux dissipation. However, researchers in charge of integrating the systems are hesitant to use these advanced cooling technologies because the solutions for thermal management need to be customized at the system level.

To solve this problem, Mainstream is demonstrating a modular reconfigurable thermal management system (TMS) that can acquire heat from both air-cooled and liquid-cooled SIGINT/EW components. The system will be able to be expanded to satisfy future phase-change-cooled electronics. The concept is applicable to both open-frame rack-mount systems and environmentally sealed enclosures. The system can also reject heat to vehicle air or be integrated with the vehicle cooling system.

During Phase I, Mainstream will design four modular cooling units and fabricate one cooling module for an environmentally sealed enclosure. System demonstrations will first be performed with representative loads for existing air-cooled and liquid-cooled modules, and then with future phase-change-cooled modules. During the Phase I optional period, Mainstream will fabricate two additional cooling modules and demonstrate the ability of the TMS to be reconfigured.

During Phase II, Mainstream will further optimize the cooling system and deliver a production-version system. This system will proceed directly to Mil-Std First Article Tests (FAT) in Phase III without any additional development or “tool-up” funds being required.

ROCKLEDGE, FL – August 19, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a leading research and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the Army to develop nanotechnology-based hydrogen generators for compact fuel cell power systems.

Advances in microelectronics technology have digitized the modern battlefield by enabling night vision, global positioning, laser range-finding/targeting, digital communications, and advanced sensing. As these powerful new battlefield technologies emerge and mature, the need for compact, efficient, silent, and safe power generation will continue to grow. Although fuel cells have kept pace with these power needs so far, the hydrogen storage and retrieval technologies on which they depend are still transitioning out of the laboratory.

The Army has selected Mainstream to close that technology gap by partnering with University of Washington researchers to integrate their groundbreaking nanostructured hydrogen fuel technology into compact, soldier-mounted generators. These generators will be designed to fuel commercial fuel cells, which in turn will power the soldier-borne electronics of the future.

The Phase I STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer Research) effort ends in February when Mainstream will present a breadboard-level system to the Army for review. The content herein does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

ROCKLEDGE, FL – June 25, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a leading research and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a small electronic fuel injection system for unmanned air, ground and maritime propulsion systems that are small and lightweight.

The U.S. Department of Defense needs small engines that are lightweight, reliable, durable, fuel efficient, and low cost for many applications. Some of these applications include providing propulsion and power generation for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned ground systems (UGS), and unmanned maritime systems (UMS), with power requirements on the order of 10 hp. Engines of this size require smaller components that are not always commercially available, such as ignition systems, fuel injectors and fuel pumps.

The objective of this program is to develop an electronic fuel injection system that can be used in small heavy-fuel engines that are being developed by the Air Force, Navy and Army. Electronic fuel injection allows for precise and variable fuel metering, which enables the injection system to be optimized for different operating conditions, such as high fuel economy, low noise or low emissions.
At the end of Phase I, Mainstream will have completed a detailed design of the novel electronic fuel injection systems and bench-top testing of the key technologies. When Phase II is completed, Mainstream will deliver a prototype system that can be integrated into a wide number of small, heavy-fuel engines.

ROCKLEDGE, FL – June 20, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a leading research and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a microsupercharger for small, heavy-fuel engines.

The U.S. Air Force needs devices for unmanned applications that increase the intake air flow and pressure to small engines in order to increase their power density and fuel efficiency. These unmanned systems require high-efficiency and highly reliable power sources operating at a near-continuous duty cycle. By increasing the power density, these engines can be used in a larger variety of applications over a wider range of operating conditions.

Forced induction systems, including superchargers and turbochargers, are one of the key methods for increasing power and efficiency of naturally aspirated engines. Scaling down this technology for use in small engines, however, poses unique challenges.
Mainstream plans to develop a very small, direct-drive, rotary supercharger that will overcome these limitations. This supercharger will be designed, fabricated and tested on Mainstream’s own 4-hp heavy-fuel engine. The design will also be extended for use with other applications in the Air Force’s range of small engines.

ROCKLEDGE, FL – June 13, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a leading research and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop an innovative fuel injection system for very small internal combustion engines.

The U.S. Air Force is currently seeking micro fuel injection systems for very small, heavy-fuel internal combustion engines. These small engines are required for lightweight, low-volume applications such as unmanned aircraft systems, unmanned ground systems, and unmanned maritime systems.

Fuel injection plays a key role in determining the useful work that can be extracted from the combustion process in these engines, as well as the gasses that are emitted from the engine. As power density requirements and emission regulations are increased, new fuel injection technologies need to be developed beyond that of what is currently available.
The major limitation with the current technology is that it is not capable of delivering sufficient amounts of fuel while distributing the fuel well throughout very small volumes. In an effort to overcome this limitation, Mainstream plans to develop a fuel injection system that uses an innovative atomization technique. During the Phase I effort, Mainstream will experimentally validate the benefits of using this injection system. In Phase II, Mainstream will develop a full-scale prototype injection system.

ROCKLEDGE, FL – May 29, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a leading research and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a biogas-tolerant engine-generator for advanced agricultural waste management systems.

Anaerobic digesters are capable of producing methane-rich biogas from animal manure and also offer the advantages of controlling odors, reducing pathogens, and minimizing the environmental impact of the waste. The biogas produced from anaerobic digesters is a renewable, distributed source of energy that can be used to generate electricity to offset power consumption on farms. Unfortunately, biogas is a sour gas that is rich in hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a highly corrosive gas that quickly embrittles the cast iron and steel used for many engine components. As a result, conventional engine-generators fail after several months of exposure to the high levels of H2S in biogas. No small (<25 kW) engines are currently available that can use this fuel without pretreatment to remove the H2S - a process that adds complexity, cost, consumables, and maintenance. As a result, many smaller biodigester installations simply flare the biogas rather than extracting any useful work from the fuel. The objective of this project is to develop an engine that is inexpensive, low-maintenance, high-efficiency, biogas-tolerant, and does not require preconditioning of the biogas to remove H2S. The overall approach involves replacement of materials for selected components, engine modifications to control H2S in the crankcase, and careful selection of engine oil. The anticipated result of this project is a first prototype, small, biogas-fueled engine that is purpose-built for corrosion resistance, fuel economy, and reduced emissions of H2S. The engine-generator will have commercial applications for anaerobic digester installations at cow, pig, and chicken farms. Households that have small-scale digesters for processing yard waste and food waste would also benefit from the technology.

ROCKLEDGE, FL – May 12, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a leading research and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the Air Force to build a high-efficiency, integrated, Self Sufficient Tent system.

Mainstream will integrate a multi-fuel, high-efficiency, low-noise generator, 5-ton environmental control unit, reverse-osmosis water purification system, user interface/power distribution panel, power conditioning electronics, and soft-walled shelter (tent) within a single trailer-mounted Self Sufficient Tent system. The contracted effort includes a demonstration of the complete system and life testing. The system will be available for production sale at the conclusion of the contract.

Mainstream engineers have made improvements in diesel engine efficiency and integrated the use of renewable energy to reduce fuel consumption. In some deployed locations, the economic savings of this design will pay for the entire system with a payback period of less than 1 year.
The Self Sufficient Tent system can be set up quickly in remote locations, providing fast disaster relief and more mobile military deployments. The high-reliability, high-efficiency components, ease of maintenance, and automated operation could also save thousands of man-hours per system per year in setup, maintenance, monitoring, and operation.

ROCKLEDGE, FL – March 27, 2008 – The Lawrence R. Grzyll Engineering Award was recently presented by Mainstream Engineering Corporation, Rockledge, Fla., to four Brevard students for their excellence in engineering research. Erin McCaskey, from Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Merritt Island, Fla., compared five types of biodiesel fuels and E85 to typical diesel and gasoline. Collin Irwin, from Hoover Middle School, Indialantic, Fla., designed an attachment for cooling kits that helps when “overclocking” computer processors. Adam Walter, from Satellite High, Satellite, Fla., investigated and tried to optimize the process used to create biochemically engineered cement. Adam Klett, from West Shore Junior/Senior High, Melbourne, Fla., sought to determine what would make the best catalyst for alternative fuel cell applications. Klett and Walter were selected to receive $1,000 savings bonds while Irwin and McCaskey were selected to receive $500 savings bonds.

The Lawrence R. Grzyll Engineering Award was created to honor the accomplishments of the late Director of Engineering at Mainstream Engineering Corporation. Mr. Grzyll spent more than 24 years in engineering research and development, working to develop fuel sources from biomass, finding safer solvents and working fluids, developing environmentally safe fire suppressants, and developing advanced thermal storage technologies for military and NASA applications. His successful innovations included the development of nontoxic two-phase heat transport fluids for manned spacecraft habitats, high-temperature heat pipe fluids for Air Force applications and the development of the first oil-less refrigeration compressor to fly in space. Mr. Grzyll taught undergraduate students at Florida Institute of Technology, authored or co-authored over 60 publications, reports, and conference papers and has more than 15 U.S. patents.