Mainstream Engineering Awarded Contract from the U.S. Navy to Develop Submersible Microclimate System

ROCKLEDGE, FL – May 14, 2009 – 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. Navy to develop an active submersible thermal protection system for hot/cold water environments

Current submersible thermal protection technology is not capable of meeting the requirements of very cold water or hot water operations in a Shallow Water Combat Submersible. Thermal protection equipment for divers in these situations will be expected to operate for durations in excess of 8 hours in temperatures below 37°F as well as temperatures above 90°F while not tethering the diver to remotely mounted systems. Mainstream has proposed an active thermal protection system that can easily be changed between a heating device and a cooling device without reconfiguring the system. The proposed system will be diver-mounted and will have minimal volume, weight, and power draw characteristics.

Mainstream’s proposed active thermal protection system is an enabling technology for the operation of Shallow Water Combat Submersibles in very cold or very warm water and will extend the capabilities of Seal missions in open water. Beyond the significance of the development of an integrated system for this application, this effort will bring forth several products for both military and commercial markets. Several components from this system can be sold individually for applications such as land- and air-based microclimate systems as well as compartmental heating and cooling systems.