Search Results

The development of a Microsoft® Excel-compatible Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Sizing Analysis “Tool” for conceptual design of Mars human exploration missions makes it possible for a user to choose different possible technologies in a corresponding subsystem. This tool estimates the mass, volume, and power requirements of technologies in a subsystem and the system as a whole. Furthermore, to verify that a design sized by the ECLSS Sizing Tool meets the mission requirements and integrates properly, a tabulated Integration Interface Module has been developed for quick referencing. Mass balance models that solve for component throughputs of ECLSS systems as the Water Recovery System (WRS) and Air Revitalization System (ARS) are being developed for the sizing of the subsystems. The ARS Mass Balance Model will be discussed in this paper.

A solid amine based Regenerative CO2 Removal System (RCRS) has been selected by NASA/JSC for extended Orbiter missions. To better understand the performance of solid amine, a bench scale solid amine test stand was built at JSC. The core of the test stand is a 1″ diameter by 3″ long adsorption bed, which was packed with solid amine adsorbent along with a heat transfer material, Duocel. The test bed was designed for evaluating mass and heat transfer performance of the solid amine system under various operating conditions. The paper will discuss the design and construction details of the test bed, as well as test results, including adsorption breakthrough, adsorption and desorption of CO2 and H2O vapor. A model for predicting the performance of regenerative CO2 and H2O vapor adsorption of the solid amine system under various operating conditions has been developed in parallel with the testing of the solid amine test stand.

A preliminary conceptual design of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), consisting of an initial and a growth version, has been developed for the proposed Space Station. This paper addresses the systems engineering approach taken in the course of planning, integrating, and developing the conceptual design. The approach includes defining system requirements and groundrules for the trade study, formulating possible options for cycle closure, establishing system-level mass balances, performing the trade-off study in search of an optimal degree of cycle closure, and constructing the conceptual design. The interdependency of the oxygen, water, and food cycles in the ECLSS is discussed and analysed with system-level mass balances. The trade-off study, which focuses on launch and resupply weight and volume requirements as well as life cycle costs of the system, is summarized.