Abstract: A ram air turbine power system includes a ram air turbine having a turbine shaft, turbine blades for rotating the turbine shaft; and an electrical generator or other power source device driven by a power shaft, for providing power. The power shaft has a generally hollow tubular shape, and the turbine shaft extends coaxially within the power shaft. The ram air turbine power system also includes a gearbox housing a planetary gear train, where one end of the gear train is a planetary sun gear spline coupled to the power shaft and the other end of the gear train is a planetary ring gear spline coupled to the turbine shaft so that the rotating turbine shaft drives the power shaft through the gear train increasing the speed of the power shaft over the speed of the turbine shaft.

Abstract: An aircraft environmental control system includes a catalytic converter having ozone-destroying capability. A surface of the catalytic converter is anodized to form an anodized layer, and the metal oxide layer is washcoated to form a washcoat layer. An ozone destroying catalyst is impregnated in the anodized and washcoat layers. The catalyst may include one or more metals. For example, a bimetallic catalyst may include a precious metal and a transition metal.

Abstract: A system and method is described for using a matched reactance machine power generation system (MRMPGS) to provide a constant-voltage power for an electric distribution system. The system and method include a permanent magnet rotor type machine without a field winding for excitation. This type of machine presents much better reliability, as the excitation of the machine is fixed and achieved by a permanent magnet embedded in the rotor assembly. The voltage regulation is achieved through speed and load coordination that is based on a machine reactance specially selected and calculated to achieve compensation between the external voltage variation and the internal machine voltage drop, resulting in substantial savings in electronics hardware.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for transferring energy from a second fluid to a first fluid has a plurality of tubes to carry one of the fluids and a layer of thermal buffer members on one side of the tubes to act as a buffer to reduce high thermal stresses that may be caused by global temperature patterns and localized high gradients that occur in system transients such as start up and shutdown. Conventional heat exchangers often have a short lifespan due to high thermal stresses acting on the core of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger uses the thermal buffer members as an increased thermal mass to cause the temperature of the heat exchanger core to change in a more gradual manner, thereby reducing thermal stresses.

Abstract: A protective coating for a carbon-containing component comprises a material selected from the group consisting of non-stoichiometric silicon and carbon; non-stoichiometric silicon and oxygen; non-stoichiometric silicon and nitrogen; compounds of silicon, oxygen, and carbon; compounds of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen; compounds of silicon, nitrogen, and carbon; and silicon.

Abstract: A hydrophilic coating can be optionally corrosion resistant and/or microbial resistant for a substrate such as a heat exchanger. The coating is provided by a zeolite layer that can be formed from a synthesis solution comprising a structure directing agent, a base, a silicon source, an aluminum source, and a solvent. In one preferred embodiment, the synthesis solution comprises tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, aluminum oxide, tetraethylorthosilicate, and water. The layer is characterized by a zeolite MFI structure and by a composition having the formula of Mn/m[AlnSi(96-n)O192], or [AlnSi(96-n)O192].4[(CH3CH2CH2)4N—OH] wherein M is a metal ion of valence m+ (e.g., Na+) and 27>n>=0. After formation of the coating, the organic structure directing agent can be left intact inside the zeolite coating to make the coating corrosion resistant.

Abstract: An improved foil thrust bearing includes a cooling fluid flow turbulence generating disk placed between other foil thrust bearing elements, such as thrust bearing elements and underspring elements. The inventive turbulence generating disk generally provides improved transfer of heat through the foil and into the cooling fluid of foil thrust bearings that may be used for high rotor speed applications. It accomplishes this by improving the transfer of heat through the foil and into the cooling fluid by generating turbulent cooling flow adjacent to the back of the top foil. The turbulent flow is generated primarily by a series of turns or protrusions introduced into the cooling flow stream. Alternate embodiments are disclosed that provide the turbulence generating elements as part of the underside of thrust bearing elements.