SBIR-STTR Award

Stable Maneuverable Airborne Thermal Management for Directed Energy Systems
Award last edited on: 1/14/2021

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : MDA
Total Award Amount
$1,624,266
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
MDA14-016
Principal Investigator
Michael Hulse

Company Information

i2C Solutions LLC

500 South Arthur Avenue Unit 300
Louisville, CO 80027
   (720) 300-8167
   N/A
   www.i2csolutions.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 02
County: Boulder

Phase I

Contract Number: HQ0147-15-C-7130
Start Date: 12/22/2014    Completed: 7/21/2015
Phase I year
2015
Phase I Amount
$124,972
i2C Solutions and New Mexico State University (NMSU) propose to develop a Stable Maneuverable AiRborne Thermal Management (SMART) two-phase cold plate designed specifically to interface with laser diode arrays resulting in an exceptionally effective, lightweight and simple thermal management subsystem. The proposed approach will overcome vulnerabilities of current flow boiling schemes to local gravity (i.e.: high acceleration) loads encountered onboard a military aircraft enabling the realization of directed energy systems for airborne missile defense that have been under development for decades. Approved for Public Release 14-MDA-8047 (14 Nov 14)

Phase II

Contract Number: HQ0147-16-C-7726
Start Date: 7/20/2016    Completed: 3/1/2019
Phase II year
2016
Phase II Amount
$1,499,294
In response to the need for improved thermal management in airborne DE systems, i2C Solutions and New Mexico State University (NMSU) are developing a Stable Maneuverable AiRborne Thermal Management (SMART) two-phase cold plate designed specifically to interface with laser diode arrays resulting in an exceptionally effective, lightweight and simple thermal management subsystem. The SMART device incorporates capillary microstructure technologies being developed at i2C Solutions combined with ultra-omni-philic surface modifications developed at NMSU that enable passive regulation of flow rate in response to varying heat flux and promotes efficient flow boiling even under g-loads observed in tactical aircraft. During the proposed Phase II program, i2C Solutions will increase heat transfer coefficients up to 10X by incorporating NMSU's ultraomniphilic surface treatments, which have been shown to drastically increase boiling efficiency, into prototype hardware and mature the hardware into laser diode bar / diode module prototypes.