SBIR-STTR Award

The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative aviation fuel water barrier filter that can replace the current filter monitors, which are EI 1583 qualified elements that contain a Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP). Because of the concern of SAP migration, these filters will be obsolete by the end of 2020. The proposed design is a composition of seven hydrophobic tubular filters. Each tube is an integration of a microporous prefilter, hydrophobic membrane, and perforated core tube. The prefilter takes advantage of a modern sintered PTFE powder manufacturing process to create an intricate network of open-celled, omni-directional pores that can remove most of the solids and water in the bulk flow. The hydrophobic membrane will have a water breakthrough pressure above 7 bars that can shut down system flow under water slug condition. This membrane serves as the final defense to ensure the fuel quality meets the limits in EI 1581 and its various qualification tests. The seven-tube design of the water barrier filter provides more than two times the surface area compared to the conventional one core design to ensure a high throughput. The final design will meet EI 1588 requirements and MIL-PRF-52308 performance specification

The objective of this proposal is the completion of the design and fabrication of a full-size prototype EI 1588 qualified fuel filter element as well as a MIL-PRF-52308J qualified filter element. The purpose is to take advantage of the technology developed in this project to benefit both commercial and military applications. The project will continue to optimize the design based on the foundation created in Phase I, in which modern nonwoven fabrics that are made from micro-fiberglass and synthetic media will be utilized to achieve water separation and solids removal from aviation fuel. These materials can be treated with fluoropolymers to enhance their hydrophobicity and the fibers can be configured to form a gradient structure to improve solids holding capacity. In addition, the unique technique, which takes advantage of the polarity of the surfactants (additives) that displays an affinity to water and also interacts with metal (a stainless-steel surface protection screen) to form a water-grabbing mechanism, will be further optimized and incorporated in the design. The completed prototype of both elements will be tested at the aviation jet fuel filtration test facility at Southwest Research Institute to prove that they are qualified for their respective specification.