AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum

On August 24th I was on a Forum 360 panel about "Sustaining Mission Possibilities Through Enabling Technologies" at the virtual AIAA Propulsion and Energy conference. Above is a video clip of my opening remarks.

Matt Moran is the Managing Member at Moran Innovation, and previous Managing Partner at Isotherm Energy. He's been developing power and propulsion systems since 1982. Matt was also the Sector Manager for Energy & Materials in his last position at NASA where he worked for 31 years. He's been involved in seven technology based start-ups; and provided R&D and engineering support to many industrial, government and research organizations.  More about Matt here…

Space Sector Growing

Isotherm Energy recently completed aerospace consulting contracts for several customers. The projects involved systems engineering and design review support related to spacecraft fluid and propulsion systems.

NASA Lunar Gateway spacecaft concept (source: NASA)

The global space economy is currently valued at about $350 billion USD, and has been growing at 6-8% CAGR for the past decade. Projected annual growth rate is expected to continue at about the same clip (7%). [1]

While government and communications have predominantly driven past growth, new markets such as commercial human spaceflight are expected to play an expanded role going forward. Demand for experienced engineering support will also grow as a result.

[1] Source: SpaceNews, 2018

Matt Moran is the Managing Member at Moran Innovation, and previous Managing Partner at Isotherm Energy. He's been developing power and propulsion systems since 1982. Matt was also the Sector Manager for Energy & Materials in his last position at NASA where he worked for 31 years. He's been involved in seven technology based start-ups; and provided R&D and engineering support to many industrial, government and research organizations.  More about Matt here…

Wright-Patterson AFB Hosts Thermal System Modeling Course

Matt Moran, Managing Partner at Isotherm Energy, taught his two day course on thermal system modeling at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) on Sep 11-12, 2017. Civilian and military engineers involved in spacecraft thermal control attended the course.

Below is a screeenshot from one of the many application examples presented to demonstrate how to use the techniques taught in the course. This model was created for a USAF solar orbit transfer vehicle concept for boosting satellites into higher orbit to extend their useful life. A solar concentrator is used to drive a Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine (TASHE) based on DOE technology, which in turn powers a two stage pulse tube cryocooler based on NIST technology. The cryocooler, along with other advanced thermal management techniques, maintains the hydrogen propellant in cryogenic liquid condition. When the SOTV attaches to the spacecraft being boosted, the solar concentrator is articulated to be used for its secondary function - heating the hydrogen as it passes through a nozzle for propulsion. The TASHE and integrated cryocooler were designed, built and successfully tested based in part on the results from this model.

Another example application was a cryogenic system design tool originally created for the Missile Defense Agency for a space-based laser concept (see screenshot below). This model performs engineering trades and optimization based on: orbital sink temperatures, insulation configuration, fluid type, operating temperatures and pressures, tank material and structures, tank geometry, and active cooling options. The versatility of the model allowed its continued use for a variety of other projects.

In addition to aerospace applications, Isotherm Energy has leveraged its experience with power and propulsion systems to address emerging energy sector challenges. Many of the capabilities shown in the above models have direct application in sustainable energy systems, such as: solar concentrators, heat engines, combined heat & power, and energy storage (e.g. hydrogen, compressed air, liquid air, liquid nitrogen, etc.)

Matt Moran is the Managing Member at Moran Innovation, and previous Managing Partner at Isotherm Energy. He's been developing power and propulsion systems since 1982. Matt was also the Sector Manager for Energy & Materials in his last position at NASA where he worked for 31 years. He's been involved in seven technology based start-ups; and provided R&D and engineering support to many industrial, government and research organizations.  More about Matt here…

System Modeling Software for Isotherm's Hydrogen Energy Storage Architecture

Isotherm Energy is developing a suite of software tools to simulate, analyze and design systems based on its hydrogen energy storage architecture.  The software allows selection of various input energy sources, water sources, biomass and other inputs as shown in the screen shot below.

Subsequent screens allow the selection of options for hydrogen production, storage, byproducts, power generation, heat recovery, power output, excess hydrogen, and water management.  Once the architecture options are selected, the software generates a system model that incorporates all the chosen parameters.

Below is an example of one of these system models that incorporates wind, photovoltaics, saltwater, electrolytic hydrogen production, compressed gas storage, fuel cells, and potable water production.  Oxygen is also stored as a cryogenic liquid in this model permitting passive cooling of the compressed hydrogen for greater density storage and higher fuel cell efficiency.

The system model calculates all energy and mass flows between subsystems along with heat available for recovery and improved overall system performance.  Note that all system flows are driven by the load following function of the power management and distribution (PMAD) subsystem and calculated accordingly.

The above screenshot represents a daylight scenario where the combined wind and solar energy input is sufficient to meet the electrical load, so the excess energy is directed by the PMAD subsystem to the saltwater electrolyzer.  Hydrogen and oxygen are thereby produced to be stored for later use in the fuel cell when needed.  Commercially saleable chlorine and sodium hydroxide byproducts are also produced during the saltwater electrolysis process.

When solar energy is unavailable, the system must augment the wind power by consuming stored hydrogen along with ambient air (or oxygen in this case) in the fuel cell to meet the electrical load demand.  The screenshot below shows the system model in this night time scenario.  With appropriate material selection and design, potable water is produced when the fuel cell is operating (for drinking water, irrigation, humidity control, etc.).

The system model has an optional time stamp capability for the conditions being simulated.  When the “Save Conditions” button is clicked, all of the parameters associated with the time stamped simulation are stored for subsequent transient analysis.  In this manner, a sequence of simulated hours, days, weeks or a full year can be automatically generated and investigated.  Every parameter of the system can then be adjusted using built-in optimization tools to meet the performance goals over any timeframe of interest.

The software also provides complete flexibility in the selection of system variables such as electrical load and energy inputs.  These can be a constant number at a given timestamp, a statistical distribution over a time averaged period, a stochastic probabilistic algorithm (e.g. Monte Carlo), or some other user defined method.

New capabilities under development include: 

• Detailed subsystem and component model
• Drop-in capability for existing and emerging technologies
• Comparison to other storage options (e.g. batteries, compressed air, pumped hydro, etc.)
• Capital/operating expenditures, payback period, levelized cost of energy and other financials
• Detailed design data, product selections, bill of materials, and more...

Isotherm Energy is developing this software to customize its hydrogen energy storage architecture for a wide range of applications in collaboration with its partners and clients.  Planned case studies will begin to explore grid connected and off-grid scenarios, particularly in markets where the benefits of the architecture uniquely address inherent key requirements and constraints (e.g. controlled environment agriculture).  Please contact us if your organization has interest in participating in these early stage studies.


Matt Moran is the Managing Member at Moran Innovation, and previous Managing Partner at Isotherm Energy. He's been developing power and propulsion systems since 1982. Matt was also the Sector Manager for Energy & Materials in his last position at NASA where he worked for 31 years. He's been involved in seven technology based start-ups; and provided R&D and engineering support to many industrial, government and research organizations.  More about Matt here…