Browsing by Author "Gibson, Tracy"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Development of a Micro-Scale Plasma Arc Gasification System for Long Duration Space Mission Waste Processing(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Meier, Anne; Thakrar, Prital; Shah, Malay; Johnson, Thad; Bayliss, Jon; Hintze, Paul; Gibson, Tracy; Captain, JamesThe NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Center Innovation Fund at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) funded a one year investigation for the development of a micro-scale plasma arc gasification system for waste repurposing on long duration space missions. The reuse of discarded materials on a long duration or planetary mission is a critical component in reducing overall mission mass and creating useful commodities like fuel, water and repurposed construction materials. Plasma arc gasification converts the majority of organic waste into a synthesis gas (syngas), consisting primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and inorganic waste into a solid slag material that can be used as a construction aggregate. Plasma arc gasification had not been previously investigated for space applications, and potentially provides a cleaner product than other waste processing methods. The micro-scale plasma arc gasification system was designed, fabricated, and tested at KSC with a commercial plasma torch. This paper will discuss the project development and results regarding the use of plasma at low power and the challenges of plasma arc gasification for small scale waste conversion. Designing the power supply was the main challenge in this project. Although this plasma torch was successfully operated for short periods of time, the power supplies did not allow for low power operations over long periods of time.Item Feasibility of an Optical Sensor to Monitor Toilet Pretreat Quality(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Kaufman, Cory; Youngquist, Robert; Gibson, Tracy; Nurge, Mark; Singh, UpendraProcessing urine is a critical function on the International Space Station (ISS). It provides a sizeable portion of the water used on ISS stored in the Potable Water Bus (PWB). Yet processing of urine is a sensitive undertaking. The urine must be collected, stabilized, and stored to inhibit molecular breakdown, organic growth, or solid precipitation. The stabilization process mixes a strong acid with the urine which must be carefully balanced to achieve the desired urine stabilization, but also to minimize the corrosive properties of the mixture at higher acid concentrations. A precise method for mixing and monitoring the urine pretreat acid in real time is vital to protecting waste processing hardware and maintaining water recollection capabilities on ISS. This paper discusses the data, testing, and analysis around using an optical sensor for measuring fluid transmittivity in order monitor the pretreat quality being mixed with crew urine.