New Oxygen Generation System Activated

July 2007 - Astronauts at the International Space Station activated and tested the second Oxygen Generation System (OGS) ( NASA Press Release). The system will be crucial add to the existing Russian Elektron oxygen generation capacity, enabling future expansion of the station crew to six people in 2009. The OGS is based on the electrolysis of water to produce oxygen. Since hydrogen is produced as a byproduct, the safety system includes triple redundancy hydrogen sensors, which were supplied by Makel Engineering.

Astronauts Setting Up Second Oxygen Generation System

January 2007 - Astronauts at the International Space Station are preparing the second Oxygen Generation System (OGS) for operation (ISS Status Report). Once activated, the system will add to the existing Russian Elektron oxygen generation capacity, enabling future expansion of the station crew to six people. The OGS is based on the electrolysis of water to produce oxygen. Since hydrogen is produced as a byproduct, the safety system includes triple redundancy hydrogen sensors, which were supplied by Makel Engineering.

On-Site Hydrogen Peroxide Manufacture for Wastewater Treatment

December 2006 - MEI has been awarded Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop miniature reactors to produce hydrogen peroxide from water electrolysis. The interest of hydrogen peroxide has grown as an environmentally benign method for wastewater treatment and bio-decontamination of sites. The system will enable on-site hydrogen peroxide production, eliminating the need for costly transport and storage of large volumes of hydrogen peroxide, making this environmentally friendly alternative cost competitive with traditional methods.

PG&E OK's Parallel Operation of HCCI Genset

December 2006 - Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) granted permission to MEI to operate its HCCI (Homogeneous Combustion Compression Ignition) genset in parallel with the electric grid. Earlier this year, the HCCI genset was moved from MEI's facilities to the Neal Road Landfill and the low pressure (landfill gas) fuel delivery system was developed. This project is being funded by the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) division of the California Energy Commission (CEC). The project's goal is to develop and demonstrate an HCCI genset for distributed power generation from landfill gas, while meeting California's emissions and performance goals.

Electronic Sniffer for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

August 2006 - MEI has been selected for a Small Business Innovative Research Phase I award from the Navy to develop a miniature electronic sniffer for Vertical Take Off Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (VTUAVs). The system will be extremely compact and provide highly sensitive detection of explosives. It will provide standoff detection capabilities during encounters with potentially explosive-laden vessels.

Oxygen Generation System Delivered to the International Space Station

July 2006 - STS-121, the most recent mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery delivered important payloads to the International Space Station. The new Oxygen Generation System was delivered and status checks were performed (ISS Status Report). Once activated, the system will add to the existing Russian Elektron oxygen generation capacity, enabling future expansion of the station crew to six people.

The International Space Station Oxygen Generation
System is Ready for Flight

May 2006 - The payloads that will launch aboard the next space shuttle mission, STS-121, arrived at Launch Pad 39-B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (NASA Press Release). Among the payloads is the Oxygen Generation System (OGS), which can provide enough oxygen each day to support a six-member crew. The OGS is based on the electrolysis of water to produce oxygen. Since hydrogen is produced as a byproduct, the safety system includes triple redundancy hydrogen sensors. Makel Engineering is building four hydrogen sensor flight units and the first one will go up as part of the OGS.

MEI Conducts Second Critical Project Review for HCCI Project at California Energy Commission

May 2006 - MEI presented their findings from their Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine development project at the California Energy Commission (CEC). Working under a grant from the CEC's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program, MEI has developed engine technology capable of generating electricity from fuel with low BTU value. A room full of representatives from UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Sandia National Lab and the CEC were treated to an open discussion regarding the results of the bench testing of MEI's landfill gas powered HCCI engine.

Applied Standard, Inc. Incorporated in Ohio

March 2006 - Applied Standard, Inc. (ASI) was formed in 2005 as an outgrowth of Makel Engineering¹s commercial product development. Its core strengths are design, development, and production of harsh environment chemical sensors. ASI is seeking to identify and develop corporate partners for high volume manufacturing, distribution, and product marketing.

NASA Preparing Oxygen Generation System for Space Station

February 2006 - NASA is preparing the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) for the Space Station (NASA Press Release). The OGS is based on the electrolysis of water to produce oxygen. Since hydrogen is produced as a byproduct, the safety system includes triple redundancy hydrogen sensors. Makel Engineering is building four hydrogen sensor flight units and the first one will go up as part of the OGS.

Conferences and Meetings: Habitation 2006 and STAIF 2006

February 2006 - The Conference on Habitation Research and Technology Development (Habitation 2006) was held February 5-8 in Orlando, Florida. The topics in this conference include environmental control, waste management, habitat construction, among many others. Makel Engineering presented a poster on the fabrication of polymers and composites for radiation shielding using Mars in-situ resources.

The Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF 2006) was held February 12-16 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This forum has a broad reach in the space community, as it consists of 5 related technical conferences. Makel Engineering presented two papers on space in-situ resources utilization (ISRU), one focused on the use of microchannel reactors and nanocatalysts, and one focused on the production of polymers.

10 Years in the Making

January 2006 - This year Makel Engineering is celebrating its 10^th anniversary. MEI was incorporated in January of 1996, and has been dedicated to providing innovative cutting-edge products and services for aviation, space, military and commercial applications.

Microchannel Reformer for Fuel Cell Powered Rovers

December 2005 - Makel Engineering has been awarded a NASA Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract for the development of a hydrogen production and purification system for fuel cell powered rovers. The rovers are planed to provide crew and equipment mobility on planetary surfaces. This project aims to combine microchannel microreformer technology for hydrogen production with palladium membrane technology for hydrogen purification and separation in an integrated hydrogen production system, resulting in optimized size and energy efficiency. The resulting integrated unit will provide the separation of hydrogen from diluent gases (e.g. carbon dioxide), promoting higher efficiency of the fuel cell stack, and the production of high purity hydrogen, suitable for PEM fuel cells, which require CO levels lower than 10-20 ppm. NASA SBIR

Polymer Synthesis on Mars

December 2005 - Makel Engineering has been awarded a NASA Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract to develop a system to manufacture polymer and composites on Mars. This program will develop a reactor system to synthesize polyethylene from carbon dioxide and water (Mars In Situ Resources and metabolic waste), combining microchannel reactor technology for production of ethylene with conventional reactor systems for the production of polyethylene. The program will also demonstrate the use of planetary soil mixed with polymers to manufacture composite parts. Polyethylene can be used for the fabrication of structures for future human and robotic exploration missions, such as habitats and radiation shielding, spare parts, self replicating machines, etc. NASA SBIR

Multi-Parameter Fire Detection System

September 2005 - A false-alarm resistant fire detection system designed for use in aircraft cargo bays, but suitable for a wide range of fire detection applications, received an R&D 100 award from R&D Magazine as well as a Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR) award from NASA. Makel Engineering, Inc. in partnership with researchers from NASA Glenn Research Center, Case Western Reserve University, the Ohio State University, Sandia National Labs, and the Federal Aviation Administration, developed the system and supporting software for the prediction of fire conditions.

Sensor System to Monitor Lubricant Conditions

July 2005 - Makel Engineering received a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research award from the US Army to develop lubricant sensors for military vehicles. The maintenance of vehicle and support systems is of key importance to Army operations. Determination of the correct time to perform lubricating and hydraulic fluid maintenance is currently inexact and wasteful of work hours and materials. This development effort is directed to the provision of microsensors to directly monitor hydraulic or lubricating fluid in-situ. Determination of fluid health and remaining useful life presently depends on labor intensive, protocol dependent techniques and the extensive handling of hazardous materials. The envisioned system automates the current, manual, vehicle, book keeping procedures; reduces or precludes hazardous material handling and disposal issues through in-situ sensing and testing and provides nearly instantaneous results so that maintenance actions can be undertaken immediately.

High Temperature Electronic Nose for In-Situ Exhaust Measurement

June 2005 - Makel Engineering received a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research award from the Department of Energy (DOE) to proceed with the development of a high temperature electronic nose. Makel Engineering¹s Phase II effort will deliver a high-temperature, small form-factor platform that allows multiple gas sensors to perform in-situ measurements applicable to industrial burners, boilers, power generation turbines, and other engines. Data provided by these sensors will be used to control combustion parameters improving efficiency and minimizing emissions. The platform design provides flexibility to incorporate sensors for the species relevant to the demands of a particular system, selected from a suite of sensor technologies.

Manufacturing industries obtain over 85 percent of their energy from the on-site combustion of fuels. Performance enhancements to burners, boilers, and process heating systems can lower energy costs, reduce emissions, enhance fuel options, and increase safety and reliability. Real-time exhaust composition information is needed to provide valuable performance feedback. DOE SBIR