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Recovery of potable water from wastewater is essential for the success of long-term manned missions to the moon and Mars. Honeywell International and the team consisting of Thermodistillation Company (Kyiv, Ukraine) and NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Crew and Thermal Systems Division are developing a wastewater processing subsystem that is based on centrifugal vacuum distillation. The Wastewater Processing Cascade Distillation Subsystem (CDS) utilizes an innovative and efficient multi-stage thermodynamic process to produce purified water. The rotary centrifugal design of the system also provides gas/liquid phase separation and liquid transport under microgravity conditions. A five-stage prototype of the subsystem was built, delivered and integrated into the NASA JSC Advanced Water Recovery Systems Development Facility for development testing.

Water recovery from wastewater is essential for the success of long-term missions to the Moon and Mars and human crew operations during explorations of these planets. Honeywell International and the team consisting of Thermodistillation Co. ( Kyiv, Ukraine) and NASA JSC Crew and Thermal Systems Division are developing an efficient wastewater processing subsystem that is based on centrifugal vacuum distillation. This subsystem will be tested at the NASA JSC Advanced Water Recovery Systems Development Facility. The Wastewater Processing Cascade Distillation Subsystem (CDS) utilizes an innovative and proven multi-stage thermodynamic process to produce purified water efficiently, and its rotary centrifugal design provides gas/liquid phase separation and liquid transport (pumping) under microgravity conditions.

Water recovery from wastewater is essential for the success of long term missions. Honeywell Aerospace and the team comprising Thermodistillation Co. (Kiev, Ukraine) and NASA JSC Crew and Thermal Systems Division are developing an advanced wastewater processing subsystem that is based on centrifugal vacuum distillation that will be tested at the NASA JSC water lab. The wastewater processing cascade distillation subsystem (CDS) utilizes a multi-stage thermodynamic process to efficiently produce purified water, and its rotary centrifugal design provides gas/liquid phase separation and liquid transport (pumping) under microgravity conditions. The objective of the program is to demonstrate potable water recovery from various wastewater streams that is suitable to meet the requirements of present (ISS) and future (Lunar-Mars) human space missions. This paper presents the subsystem design and the cascade distiller operational evaluation.

Next generation ion exchanged X zeolites have been evaluated as replacements for the zeolites used in the spacecraft carbon dioxide removal systems. Most recently, zeolites have been used in the International Space Station (ISS) Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). The zeolites used in the ISS CDRA are termed ASRT 5A and have 50% improvement in adsorptive capacity for carbon dioxide compared to commercial zeolites. Relative to the ASRT 5A zeolites on ISS, the ion exchanged X zeolites provides a factor of 1.6 improvement in carbon dioxide capacity, and an improved isotherm shape. Further improvement in capacity, along with improved resistance to attrition or cracking is obtained if the X zeolite is immobilized using a polymeric binder into a porous composite which fills the adsorbent canister. Together, these improvements allow the zeolite to be used in an adiabatic pressure-swing mode, or in the temperature/pressure swing mode now used in ISS.

Spacecraft air must be treated to control the concentrations of carbon dioxide and other contaminants while also controlling oxygen concentration, humidity and temperature. These requirements in a low gravity environment currently lead to complex systems requiring substantial volume and mass. A direct liquid contact system can be used to contact recirculation air with small liquid droplets to control humidity and temperature, while managing the concentrations of carbon dioxide and other air impurities. The absorbent liquid concentration and temperature, combined with the recirculation rate can be used to independently control temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentrations. The absorbent liquid is removed from the air stream using a centrifugal separator, and carbon dioxide is vented or chemically pumped to a higher pressure receiver for reuse.

The cascaded distiller CD5 is a 5-stage, rotary vacuum distiller developed jointly by Honeywell International (USA) and Thermodistillation Co. (Kiev, Ukraine) for processing of human urine and other streams of waste water onboard a spacecraft during long-duration missions. Initial performance testing of the first model of the distiller CD5-1 was conducted at the Thermodistillation laboratory in Kiev in 1999. Results of testing demonstrated superior performance of the machine, but also indicated that performance could be improved. This paper reports on performance of the next generation of the distiller, CD5-2, which is an improved model of the cascaded distiller CD5-1.

The Advanced Inflatable Airlock (AIA) System is currently being developed for the 2nd Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). The objective of the AIA System is to greatly reduce the cost associated with performing extravehicular activity (EVA) from the RLV by reducing launch weight and volume from previous hard airlock systems such as the Space Shuttle and Space Station airlocks. The AIA System builds upon previous technology from the TransHab inflatable structures project, from Space Shuttle and Space Station Airlock systems, and from terrestrial flexible structures projects. The AIA system design is required to be versatile and capable of modification to fit any platform or vehicle needing EVA capability. This paper discusses the AIA conceptual design and key features that will help meet the 2nd Generation RLV program goals of reduced cost and program risk.

Vacuum rotary distillation is an attractive technology for water recovery from wastewater onboard a human crewed spacecraft that includes human urine and reverse osmosis brine. To reduce specific energy consumption while purifying water in the vacuum rotary distillation technology, multistage distillations, as well as thermoelectric heat pumps, are used. A theoretical approach to the calculation of the optimal number of distillation stages is given. Test results are given for a new five-stage cascaded distiller in a system with a thermoelectric heat pump. These results include the performance parameters of the system and the water quality of the product for the process of water recovery from solutions of NaCl and human urine.

Simulated spacecraft water recovery wastewater feed streams were purified with a three-stage vacuum rotary distillation processor (TVRD) during a series of tests conducted to evaluate the operation of this technology. The TVRD was developed to efficiently reclaim potable water from urine in microgravity by NIICHIMMASH (Moscow, Russia). A prototype was evaluated at the Honeywell Space Water Reclamation test lab, where a special test setup was assembled to evaluate the performance of the TVRD. This paper discusses the TVRD technology, test description, test results, and performance analysis. Tests were conducted using four streams of wastewater: pretreated human urine, bioprocessor effluent, reverse osmosis brine ersatz, and deionized water. The testing demonstrated that greater than 90 percent water recovery can be reached with production rates of 2.2 to 2.9 kg/hr (4.84 to 6.30 lb/hr).

The Biological Wastewater Processor Experiment Definition team is performing the preparatory ground research required to define and design a mature space flight experiment. One of the major outcomes from this work will be a unit-gravity prototype design of the infrastructure required to support scientific investigations related to microgravity wastewater bioprocessing. It is envisioned that this infrastructure will accommodate the testing of multiple bioprocessor design concepts in parallel as supplied by NASA, small business innovative research (SBIR), academia, and industry. In addition, a systematic design process to identify how and what to include in the space flight experiment was used.