SBIR-STTR Award

Currently, all ice used on Forward Operating Bases is transported in, putting soldiers in harm’s way during transport and using large quantities of fuel in the process. Mainstream proposes a vapor compression ice making system that will produce ice during the night and store during the day. Mainstream’s system has a COP of 2.24, which exceeds the 2.0 requirement of the solicitation. Detailed cycle analysis and major component selection have already been completed and the majority of the thermal system components are commercial-off-the-shelf-components ensuring rapid transition to fielded hardware. In Phase I, Mainstream will develop an evaporator with guidance from the Army who will specify desired ice shape. A full scale assembly of the ice making system will then be built and tested for performance verification. In the Phase I Option, Mainstream will design and optimize power electronics for multiple power sources and also an antibacterial/cleaning system.

Keywords:
Vapor Compression, Ice Maker, Solar Power, High Efficiency

Current methods of supplying ice to the soldier are limited to using small commercial ice makers in field kitchens (for very limited quantities of ice) and manufacturing ice at remote factory locations by trucking this ice to forward operating bases. In Phase I, Mainstream designed, fabricated, and tested a field-deployable ice making system that operates on military tactical generators. Compared to the current Army ice making solution, equipping military bases with Mainstream’s ice maker can save $363,000,000 over 15 years. The return on investment time is 10 months for an optimized Phase II solution. In Phase II, Mainstream will finalize the design and deliver a second-generation system at the end of the first year. Following field tests, life tests, and Army evaluations, Mainstream will fabricate the third-generation, production-version system, which will be available to the military at the end of the second year.

Keywords:
Vapor Compression, Ice Production, Automation