Browsing by Author "Carter, Layne"
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Item Evaluation of Biofilm Inhibitors for the Environmental Control and Life Support Water Recovery System(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Williams, Wendy; Carter, Layne; Nur, Mononita; Burzell, CynthiaItem An Evaluation of Technology to Remove Problematic Organic Compounds from the International Space Station Potable Water(44th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2014-07-13) Rector, Tony; Metselaar, Carol; Peyton, Barbara; Steele, John; Michalek, William; Bowman, Elizabeth; Wilson, Mark; Gazda, Daniel; Carter, LayneSince activation of the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) on the International Space Station (ISS) in November of 2008, there have been three events in which the TOC (Total Organic Carbon) in the product water has increased to approximately 3 mg/L and has subsequently recovered. Analysis of the product water in 2010 identified the primary component of the TOC as dimethylsilanediol (DMSD). An investigation into the fate of DMSD in the WPA ultimately determined that replacement of both Multifiltration (MF) Beds is the solution to recovering product water quality. The MF Beds were designed to ensure that ionic breakthrough occurs before organic breakthrough. However, DMSD saturated both MF Beds in the series, requiring removal and replacement of both MF Beds with significant life remaining. Analysis of the MF Beds determined that the adsorbent was not effectively removing DMSD, trimethylsilanol, various polydimethylsiloxanes, or dimethylsulfone. Coupled with the fact that the current adsorbent is now obsolete, the authors evaluated various media to identify a replacement adsorbent as well as media with greater capacity for these problematic organic contaminants. This paper provides the results and recommendations of this collaborative study.Item Nanotechnology for Beyond Earth Water Treatment(2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2020-07-31) Rogers, Tanya; Alabastri, Alessandro; Halas, Naomi; Mathieu, Jacques; Alvarez, Pedro; Carter, Layne; Wong, Michael; Verduzco, Rafael; Metz, Jordin; Dongare, Pratiksha D.NASA has embarked on a journey to enable human exploration on the Moon and Mars by 2024. These long duration missions beyond low earth orbit (LEO) will require advanced water treatment and reuse technologies for life support systems to support crew and system needs. Resupply to deep space destinations is not desirable and sustained human presence in a lunar environment increases the necessity for robust and reliable systems. To reduce propulsion costs and transit space allocations, mass, power consumption, and volume must be minimized for all systems. Additionally, a beyond (LEO) water treatment system process must be able to tolerate both operational and dormant periods. Herein, we present nanotechnologies developed by the Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) center as advanced solutions to meet the aforementioned requirements. This survey of fit-for-purpose modular technologies includes room temperature nanocatalysis, nanophotonics, nano-selective scalant control, quorum sensing and biofouling control techniques, and nano enabled fluid management. A case study of integrating nanotechnology into state-of-the-art and developing systems is also presented.Item Process Development for Removal of Siloxanes from ISS Atmosphere(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Carter, Layne; Perry, Jay; Kayatin, Matthew J.; Wilson, Mark; Gentry, Gregory J.; Bowman, Elizabeth; Monje, Oscar; Rector, Tony; Steele, JohnDimethylsilanediol (DMSD) has been identified as a problematic organic contaminant aboard the ISS. This contaminant was initially identified in humidity condensate and in the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) product water in 2010 when routine water quality monitoring an increasing total organic carbon (TOC) trend in the WPA product water. Although DMSD is not a crew health hazard at the levels observed in the product water, it can degrade the WPA catalytic reactor’s effectiveness and cause early replacement of Multifiltration Beds. DMSD may also degrade the performance of the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) which uses the WPA product water for electrolysis. An investigation into the source of DMSD has determined that polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) compounds are likely hydrolyzing in the Condensing Heat Exchangers (CHX) to form DMSD. PDMS compounds are prevalent aboard ISS from a variety of sources, including crew hygiene products, adhesives, caulks, lubricants, and various nonmetallic materials. PDMS compounds are also known to contribute to CHX hydrophilic coating degradation by rendering it hydrophobic and therefore adversely affecting its ability to effectively transmit water to the condensate bus. Eventually this loss in performance results in water droplets in the air flow exiting the CHX, which may lead to microbial growth in the air ducts and may impact the performance of downstream systems. Several options have been evaluated to address these concerns. Modifications to the Water Processor Multifiltration Beds and Catalytic Reactor for removal of DMSD were not considered viable, and did not address the issue with PDMS compound degradation of the CHX coating. Design concepts are now in development for removing PDMS compounds from the air stream before they can reach the CHX coating, thus preventing coating degradation and hydrolysis of the PDMS compounds to DMSD. This paper summarizes the current status of the effort to treat these contaminants on ISS.Item Status of ISS Water Management and Recovery(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Carter, Layne; Williamson, Jill; Gazda, Daniel; Brown, Chris; Schaezler, Ryan; Thomas, Frank; Bazley, Jesse; Molina, SundayWater management on ISS is responsible for the provision of water to the crew for drinking water, food preparation, and hygiene, to the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) for oxygen production via electrolysis, to the Waste & Hygiene Compartment (WHC) for flush water, and for experiments on ISS. This paper summarizes water management activities on the ISS US Segment and provides a status of the performance and issues related to the operation of the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) and Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). This paper summarizes the on-orbit status as of June 2019, describes the technical challenges encountered and lessons learned over the past year.Item Status of ISS Water Management and Recovery(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Carter, Layne; Pruitt, Jennifer; Brown, Christopher A.; Schaezler, Ryan; Bankers, LyndseyWater management on ISS is responsible for the provision of water to the crew for drinking water, food preparation, and hygiene, to the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) for oxygen production via electrolysis, to the Waste & Hygiene Compartment (WHC) for flush water, and for experiments on ISS. This paper summarizes water management activities on the ISS US Segment, and provides a status of the performance and issues related to the operation of the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) and Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). This paper summarizes the on-orbit status as of May 2015 and describes the technical challenges encountered and lessons learned over the past two years.Item Upgrades to the International Space Station Urine Processor Assembly(2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2020-07-31) Williamson, Jill; Carter, Layne; Morris, Danielle; Hill, Jimmy; Caviglia, ColtonThe ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) began operations in November 2008. Though the UPA has successfully generated distillate from crew urine, several modifications and upgrades have been implemented to improve overall system performance throughout the years. Current and future upgrades to the UPA will continue to focus on improved system performance and reliability, focusing next on a flight demonstration experiment of a vacuum pump utilizing scroll pump technologies. The upgraded Distillation Assembly (DA), described in further detail in previous publications, will also be available for on-orbit integration within the year. The following paper discusses progress on the Purge Pump and Separator Assembly (PPSA) and concept considerations for future UPA upgrades.Item Upgrades to the International Space Station Urine Processor Assembly(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Williamson, Jill; Carter, Layne; Hill, Jimmy; Graves, Rex; Jones, Davey; Morris, DanielleThe ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) began operations in November 2008. Though the UPA has successfully generated distillate from crew urine, several modifications and upgrades have been implemented to improve overall system performance throughout the years. Current and future upgrades to the UPA will continue to focus on improved system performance and reliability, focusing primarily on the Distillation Assembly and upgrades to the UPA vacuum pump. Work towards a flight demonstration experiment of a vacuum pump utilizing scroll pump technologies has also continued forward. The following paper discusses progress on these various concepts, including the implementation of a more reliable drive belt, improved methods for managing condensate in the stationary bowl of the Distillation Assembly, installation of improved centrifuge bearings, implementation of a liquid level sensor, and upgrades to the UPA vacuum pump.Item Upgrades to the ISS Water Recovery System(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Pruitt, Jennifer M.; Carter, Layne; Bagdigian, Robert M.; Kayatin, Matthew J.The ISS Water Recovery System (WRS) includes the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) and the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). The WRS produces potable water from a combination of crew urine (first processed through the UPA), crew latent, and Sabatier product water. The WRS has been operational on ISS since November 2008, producing over 21,000 L of potable water during that time. Though the WRS has performed well during this time, several modifications have been identified to improve the overall system performance. These modifications can reduce resupply and improve overall system reliability, which is beneficial for the ongoing ISS mission as well as for future NASA manned missions. The following paper lists these modifications, how they improve WRS performance, and a status on the ongoing development effort.Item Water Recovery System Design to Accommodate Dormant Periods for Manned Missions(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Tabb, David; Carter, LayneFuture manned missions beyond lower Earth orbit may include intermittent periods of extended dormancy. Under the NASA Advanced Exploration System (AES) project, NASA personnel evaluated the viability of the ISS Water Recovery System (WRS) to support such a mission. The mission requirement includes the capability for life support systems to support crew activity, followed by a dormant period of up to one year, and subsequently for the life support systems to come back online for additional crewed missions. Dormancy could be a critical issue due to concerns with microbial growth or chemical degradation that might prevent water systems from operating properly when the crewed mission began. As such, it is critical that the water systems be designed to accommodate this dormant period. This paper details the results of this evaluation, which include identification of dormancy issues, results of testing performed to assess microbial stability of pretreated urine during dormancy periods, and concepts for updating to the WRS architecture and operational concepts that will enable the ISS WRS to support the dormancy requirement.