I didn’t expect to blog about proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) but they came up during my interview with Jan Jordynn on her Destiny of Times podcast. Jan’s got a wide-ranging curiosity and we ended up talking about much more than books and writing. Give it a listen here.
I’ve been working on a hydrogen-powered aircraft program lately. The prototype has now flown successfully several times – one conventional engine and one hydrogen-powered engine. Once Jan found that out, it was off to the races.
Jan also quizzed me about being a test pilot, projects I worked on for NASA, and quite a few other things. What was planned as a 30-minute discussion stretched slightly beyond an hour and she asked a lot of fun questions.
Fun fact about PEMs – the basic technology is not new. NASA used PEMs to power the later Gemini flights, then abandoned them in favor of alkaline fuel cells for Apollo and the ISS. Advances in the technology are making them appealing again.
In our project, we use hydrogen and PEMs to generate electricity to power the motor that spins the propellor. Looking only at the on-board reactions, the exhaust is just water. Very attractive in some quarters.
Jan’s first book is out and on my reading list. I’ll review it once I finish. The entire project (The Destiny of Times) would be daunting to me – two trilogies with a related novel in between bridging the two parts of the tale. That’s seven novels. I’m having a hard enough time finishing my SPARK trilogy!