Techonology Partnership
Partnership Helps Virginia Company Grow, Racers Breathe Better
|
But landed it has, in the form of an air-purifying system that cleanses contaminants and toxins from race car cockpits, helping some of the nation’s top NASCAR drivers breathe easier at 200 mph.
The extremes of space operation have something in common with the rigors of high-performance competitive driving. Both require tough, durable, efficient systems that operate reliably under extreme conditions with little or no maintenance. The catalyst was developed as part of a NASA atmospheric-monitoring project that never flew in space. For that mission, the catalyst would have recycled and recaptured carbon dioxide, a source of laser power. The system of which it was a part had to be foolproof and fail-safe, criteria that must be met on the ground as well.
In a race car, at very high speeds and temperatures, the catalyst must constantly remove carbon monoxide and other harmful gases before they affect the driver’s health. Cleaner air virtually eliminates flu-like symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and dizziness that traditionally linger for days after races.
“It’s performance technology meeting satellite technology,” says Matt Davis, a consulting engineer for Penske Engineering. “When they close that helmet and that visor and hook up the cooling system, they breathe good, clean air. They’re going around the track at more than 190 miles an hour and the air is less toxic. That really helps the drivers.”
The catalyst is made by STC Catalysts Inc. (SCi), a subsidiary of Science and Technology Corp., of Hampton, Va. As an adopter of the original NASA research, SCi has an exclusive licensing deal with NASA Langley Research Center. Under the terms of this deal, the company sells carbon dioxide-recovering catalysts for laser-power systems, primarily overseas, to laser makers in Italy and South Africa.
About the size of an oversize coffee mug without a handle, the catalyst features a unique surface chemistry and airflow over and through a formulation of platinum and tin oxide incorporated within a honeycombed ceramic form.
Since the beginning of its
|
| The InCar System, using the NASA-developed catalyst, is now helping race car drivers breathe better by filtering contaminated air before it enters the driver's helmet. |
“The caliber of NASA technology is so high, I can’t help but feel there’s a lot more out there just waiting for someone to come along and use it,” says Davis.
Taking innovation from benchtop to marketplace is often a laborious process. For SCi, this process has taken nearly a decade.
“It’s not simply pulling technology off a shelf somewhere and putting it in a car,” says George Wood, the catalyst’s co-inventor and SCi vice president for business development.
New products need to find the right markets and buyers. Sellers must validate, test, retest, certify and then repeat the process as new generations of product debut.
Additional markets for the catalyst could be opening. SCi is exploring a variety of opportunities for the catalyst to filter air, particularly in extreme conditions. An emergency filtration system for first responders is one such option. Others might include purifying systems for laboratories and hospitals using chemical preservatives and as pollution controls on automobiles.
“We’re expanding. We’re looking for additional markets. Getting an application from the laboratory to the marketplace is a long process. You can’t do it overnight,” says Wood.
For more information, contact Dr. George M. Wood, STC Catalysts Inc., (757) 766-5822, gwood@stcnet.com.
Please mention that you read about it in Technology Innovation.
Did you know?
An interesting fact to stimulate the mind
NASA research aimed at improving crash protection for airline passengers led to the development of what cushioning material that was used in space shuttle seats, as well as in many commercial applications?
Temper Foam
With the idea of developing a new airline seat to provide better impact protection and comfort during long flights, NASA’s Ames Research Center developed an open-cell polyurethane-silicon plastic foam that takes the shape of impressed objects but returns to its original shape even after 90 percent compression. The material offers better impact protection in an accident and enhances passenger comfort on long flights. Numerous spinoffs of the original technology include orthopedic support cushions used in wheelchairs and other medically related support applications; use in sports equipment, such as helmets; and even use in the furniture industry as mattresses and cushions.
NASA Official: Janelle Turner • Web Design: Printing
& Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits