Browsing by Author "Barta, Daniel"
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Item Further Investigations into the Performance of Membrane- Aerated Biological Reactors Treating a Space Based Waste Stream(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Christenson, Dylan; Sevanthi, Ritesh; Baldwin, Daniel; Morse, Audra; Jackson, W. Andrew; Meyer, Caitlin; Vega, Leticia; Pickering, Karen; Barta, DanielMembrane aerated biological reactors (MABR) have proven in terrestrial testing to be a sustainable and robust technology for treating space based waste streams that prove challenging for conventional systems due to high concentrations of carbon and nitrogen. Biological pretreatment stabilizes the waste stream without the use of harsh chemicals and also provides several distinct advantages including: 1) the conversion of NH3 to N2(gas), a required atmospheric component, or NOx species that are easily rejected by evaporative or membrane systems; 2) the transformation of organic matter to increase the efficiency of desalinization processes and produce a more stable waste product (brine); 3) the production of metabolic water; 4) the reduction in pH that facilitates membrane and distillation processes and reduces the required consumables and increases the life span of the processes; and 5) the potential elimination of the current hazardous pre-treat chemicals thereby producing a brine from which water can be recovered more easily. Work at both Texas Tech University (TTU) and Johnson Space Center (JSC) using the Counter-diffusion Membrane Aerated Nitrifying Denitrifying Reactor (CoMANDR) design has shown the ability of these systems to provide consistent and efficient carbon removal (>90%) and nitrification (>60%) when treating a space based waste stream consisting of urine, flush water, hygiene and laundry water, and humidity condensate. However, several areas were in need of further investigation. These include the ability of the system to handle on production urine feeding and the impact of membrane density on performance. The study of on production urine feeding allows us to determine the versatility of MABR bioreactors to a range of mission scenarios. Our past work has also identified operational issues for high density membrane modules in which the spacing between membranes is reduced. These high density modules can increase gas transfer but suffer from flow short circuiting due to biofilm bridging. We evaluated this relationship by operating MABRs with a range of specific surface areas and treating an Early Planetary Base waste stream.Item NASA Environmental Control and Life Support Technology Development for Exploration: 2022-2023 Status(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Schneider, Walter; Brown, Arthur; Allen, Chris; Barta, Daniel; Gazda, Daniel; McKinley, Melissa; Ridley, Alesha; Stambaugh, ImeldaNASA is pursing Environmental Control and Life Support technology developments and hardware upgrades to support Gateway, lunar surface, Mars transit, and Mars surface missions. This paper will highlight 2022-2023 progress of the technologies and how they are maturing on the path to ground testing and demonstration in microgravity. Technologies NASA is trading, new developments, and particular challenging issues will be highlighted. Technologies addressed in this paper are in the areas of atmosphere revitalization, water recovery and management, waste management, and environmental monitoring.Item NextSTEP Appendix A Modular ECLSS Effort Lessons Learned(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Clawson, James; Barta, Daniel; Schneider, Walter; Howard, David; Cox, MarlonThe first appendix under NextSTEP-2, Appendix A, focused on developing deep space habitation concepts, engineering design and development, and risk reduction efforts leading to a habitation capability in cislunar space. Collins Aerospace, formerly UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS), was awarded a Phase 1 and subsequent Phase 2 contract to �develop concepts that group ECLS systems into logical modules maximizing the use of common components and the development of unique methods and design concepts that support in-flight maintenance and repair for future exploration systems.� This effort developed and matured a modular palletization concept to enable standard rack interfaces, post-launch outfitting, and decoupling of structural supports that withstand launch environments from those needed for lower on-orbit loads, Collins also assessed numerous architecture trades, including the use of condensing and noncondensing heat exchangers, the ability of modular units to accommodate various habitat volumes and thermal loading, and the most appropriate order and timing of delivery of regenerative ECLSS hardware to orbital habitats. Collins additionally developed software approaches for distributed/modular command, control, and communication systems and innovative Bayesian fault detection and isolation techniques. Finally, the effort explored advanced maintainability and supportability concepts including the definition of maintenance units (MUs) in place of the traditional Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs), increasing parts commonality to reduce the number and type of spare parts, the use of augmented reality to guide crews during maintenance and repair procedures, and how crews would prepare for and recover from long durations of habitat dormancy. Now that the NextSTEP Modular ECLSS effort has come to a close, it's important to summarize the work accomplished under this effort and identify the lessons learned and where they can be leveraged to improve NASA's broader program of ECLSS technology development and demonstration and ultimately how they can increase the performance of future surface and orbital habitats.Item Rapid Start-up and Loading of an Attached Growth, Simultaneous Nitrification/Denitrification Membrane Aerated Bioreactor(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Meyer, Caitlin E.; Pensinger, Stuart; Pickering, Karen D.; Barta, Daniel; Shull, Sarah A.; Vega, Leticia M.; Christenson, Dylan; Jackson, W. AndrewMembrane aerated bioreactors (MABR) are attached-growth biological systems used for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification to reclaim water from waste. This design is an innovative approach to common terrestrial wastewater treatments for nitrogen and carbon removal and implementing a biologically-based water treatment system for long- duration human exploration is an attractive, low energy alternative to physiochemical processes. Two obstacles to implementing such a system are (1) the “start-up” duration from inoculation to steady-state operations and (2) the amount of surface area needed for the biological activity to occur. The Advanced Water Recovery Systems (AWRS) team at JSC explored these two issues through two tests; a rapid inoculation study and a wastewater loading study. Results from these tests demonstrate that the duration from inoculation to steady state can be reduced to under two weeks, and that despite low ammonium removal rates, the MABRs are oversized.Item Trading Advanced Oxygen Recovery Architectures and Technologies(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Lange, Kevin; French, Melanie; Abney, Morgan; Barta, DanielA trade study was performed to evaluate several technologies designed to increase oxygen recovery from carbon dioxide compared to the International Space Station (ISS) state-of-the-art. The study employed an equivalent system mass (ESM) approach that combined alternative Spacecraft Oxygen Recovery (SCOR) technologies with either unscaled or scaled ISS technologies to complete the functionality of the oxygen generation system architecture (where necessary) and to assess the overall life support system impact. ESM calculations based on a target system reliability (achieved by adding redundancy or spares) were included similar to a 2012 study, but assuming a lower level of reparability. Simpler two-failure tolerant ESM calculations were also performed. A component-level database for several ISS technologies was built to support the calculations. The combination of scalability and lower-level reparability significantly reduces the breakeven time for regenerative technologies compared to previous studies. Although there is currently considerable uncertainty in many of the assumptions and technology characteristics, the results suggest some clear patterns and benefits. The approach has the potential to help guide and prioritize life support technology development as part of an ongoing assessment combined with other considerations such as safety, development risk, and cost.