Portable Cathode-Air-Vapor-Feed Electrochemical Medical Oxygen Concentrator, Phase I

Future space exploration missions present significant new challenges to crew health care capabilities, particularly in the efficient utilization of on-board oxygen resources. The International Space Station and future exploration vehicles require a light weight, compact, portable oxygen concentrator technology (OCT) that can provide medical grade oxygen from the ambient cabin air. Current OCTs are heavy, bulky, have a narrow operating temperature range (ambient to 40 degrees C), and require 15 to 30 minutes start-up time to reach their full operating capacity. Lynntech's proposed electrochemical OCT solves these issues by operating the OCT with a cathode-air vapor feed, unlike conventional electrochemical OCTs which require a liquid water feed. This is possible due to the use of in-house developed proprietary nanocomposite proton exchange membrane and oxygen reduction/evolution catalyst technologies. Cathode-air vapor feed operation eliminates the need for a bulky on-board water supply, significantly reduces the complexity of the balance-of-plant, and greatly increases the system efficiency. Lynntech's OCT will be a quarter the size and weight of conventional OCTs, be capable of instant start-up, and have an operating temperature range of 10 degrees C to 110 degrees C.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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