Electrochemical Pumps For RFCs

Regenerative Fuel Cells (RFCs) offer a energy dense storage solution for lunar applications. Many aspects of RFCs can be configured and customized for a specific scenario. One such component is the coolant pumps. In this scenario the coolant pumps must be capable of operating at high pressure in a thermal vacuum environment. Additionally, long operational life is desired as maintenance intervals are limited. To meet this solution Lynntech proposes an electrochemical pump which utilizes technology similar to the Electrolyser and Fuel Cell stacks to meet the fluid flow requirements for cooling RFCs in a lunar environment.

This specific application is for energy and power storage systems in lunar applications. The core technology can also be applied to any long life pump applications that NASA may desire such as space suit cooling pumps, life support cooling pumps, or rover cooling pumps. Lynntech has implemented its electrochemical pump technology in medical devices, energy storage systems, and DoD applications.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 2) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.