Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) is pleased to be selected by NASA for a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award to develop a new high-speed, two-stage compressor for launch vehicle propellant densification. Many of today’s large launch vehicles utilize liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as engine propellants and densified propellants are desirable for three reasons.…

Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) is pleased to have been selected by ITER-India to supply the first supercritical helium circulation pump (i.e. the toroidal field magnet circulator) for the ITER nuclear fusion energy project. The pump will circulate supercritical helium at 4.5 Kelvin, or -269º Celsius, which will cool the superconducting toroidal field magnets in the tokamak…

Arvada, Colo. – The Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation (Jeffco EDC) honored leading businesses in Jefferson County on March 21st at the 20th Annual Industry Appreciation Awards breakfast. This awards program honors impressive businesses each year that have proven to be outstanding and innovative. These companies help fuel the economy in Jefferson County through their…

At its 2013 Vendor Appreciation Party, Barber-Nichols Honored Nine Local Vendors For 100% Quality And 100% On-Time Delivery: B.C. Tool & Cutter Grinding in Colorado Springs, CO Coblaco Services in Aurora, CO Cryogenic Services in Northglen, CO Empire Metal Spray in Englewood, CO Foam Fabricators in Denver, CO Temperature Processing in Longmont, CO US Precision Mold in Arvada, CO Wazee Companies in…

Barber-Nichols designed and built a 6 kW Uninterruptible Power System that utilized a High Inertia Turbine (HIT 6). The alternator is situated between the turbine wheel and the 2.0 kg (4.5 lb) fly wheel. When the unit is on standby the alternator acts as an electrical motor, consumes a small amount of power, and maintains…

The Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle test loop Barber-Nichols produced for the U.S. Department of Energy was loaded on to three trucks today and is being transported to Sandia National Laboratories for continued testing. The U.S. Department of Energy is developing Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle technology specifically to support Generation IV Nuclear Reactor design. Generation…

Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) is proud to have supplied the ten rocket engine turbopumps used by SpaceX in its successful launch of the Falcon 9 mission leading to a historic rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). This mission is the first commercial flight to the ISS and marks the 35th engine flown. BNI is pleased…

Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) was awarded a five-year contract valued in excess of $10 Million for the manufacture of Air Turbine Assemblies which are used on the Navy’s Virginia Class submarine fleet. BNI’s employees and management are proud that the U.S. Navy and its prime contractors are confident that we can successfully deliver this mission-critical hardware.…

Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) would like to congratulate SpaceX on its successful launch of the Falcon 9. BNI has been working with SpaceX since 2002 and produced the turbopumps that supply kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants to the Merlin engines. There are ten engines in all; nine engines provide thrust for the first stage…

A cryogenic pump produced by Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) is featured in NASA Tech Briefs because it uses composite materials to increase pump efficiency and reduce conductive heat leak. Several modifications were made to the design and operation of the extended-shaft cryogenic pump to increase the pumping efficiency. In general, cryogenic fluid pumping efficiency is limited…