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Proper design of the air ventilation system is critical to maintaining a healthy environment for the ISS crew. In this study, a computational fluid dynamic model was used to model the air circulation in Node 1 to identify the locations where there are low air velocities under nominal operating conditions and several reduced ventilation flow conditions. The reduced ventilation flow conditions analyzed were loss of cabin air fan, loss of inter-module ventilation from Node 1 to the US Lab, and loss of inter-module ventilation from the airlock to Node 1. For nominal operation of the ventilation system, about 5% of the node had air velocity of between 1 and 5 ft/min and 14% of the node had air velocity of between 5 and 10 ft/min. Loss of the cabin air fan and loss of Lab inter-module ventilation did not have a significant impact on the percentage of the node that would have low air circulation.

Future space exploration activities require ultrapure water for experimentation and general laboratory operations. A system which is capable of recycling wastewater to provide ultrapure water will greatly reduce water resupply requirements. A Hollow Fiber Membrane (HFM) phase change technology coupled with an Aqueous Phase Catalytic Oxidation (APCO) provides an efficient means of water purification to meet the requirements for the Ultrapure Water System (UPWS). The HFM phase change system, a pervaporation process, separates water from organics and inorganics in an aqueous solution. As with all phase change technologies, volatile organic compounds are transported with the product water. These organics are then oxidized by the APCO process to significantly reduce the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) concentration. Residual contaminants are then removed by polishing beds containing ion exchange resins and physical adsorbents.