Browsing by Author "Kayatin, Matthew"
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Item Ammonia Stability in a Simulated Trace Contaminant Rich Cabin Environment(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, JayThe off-gassing of ammonia from hardware and metabolic sources presents a unique challenge to trace contaminant control system design, driving process flowrates to meet crewed air quality requirements. Accurately simulating representative trace contaminant cabin loads during ground testing is necessary to validate component design as well as understand potential contaminant propagation across life-support system process interface boundaries. This effort is complicated by the observed temporal concentration instability of gaseous ammonia in ground test chambers. To this end, ammonia concentration decay rates were characterized under controlled environmental conditions to better understand underlying phenomena and quantify incidental mass losses. The suspected chemical interaction between ammonia and trace acetaldehyde was investigated and its effect on species quantification was examined by both gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Recommendations for ground test procedures were made in order to best compensate for undesirable ammonia mass losses and mitigate test artifacts.Item Assessment of Ethanol Trend on ISS(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Gazda, Daniel; McCoy, Torin; Limero, Thomas; Perry, Jay; Carter, Donald; Kayatin, MatthewThe International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) provides a working environment for 6 crew through atmosphere revitalization and water recovery systems. In the last year, elevated ethanol levels have presented a unique challenge for the ISS ECLSS. Ethanol is monitored on the ISS by the Air Quality Monitor (AQM). The source of this increase is not currently known though it does appear to correlate with vehicle docking. This paper documents the credible sources for the increased ethanol concentration, the monitoring provided by the AQM, and the impact on the atmosphere revitalization and water recovery systems.Item Characterization of sorbents for controlling ammonia in spacecraft cabin air(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Monje, Oscar; Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, JayThe trace contaminant control system (TCCS) utilizes packed beds of Barnebey-Sutcliffe (B-S) Type 3032 to remove ammonia from ISS cabin air. BS Type 3032, an acid-impregnated activated carbon, is no longer produced and must be replaced. The adsorptive capacities of Calgon Carbon Ammonasorb II and Molecular Products Chemsorb® 1425 for ammonia were measured using moist (40% RH) spacecraft simulated gas streams. These candidate replace-ment sorbents had 66% greater ammonia removal capacities at low (5 ppm) ammonia con-centrations than B-S Type 3032.Item Design and Delivery of Filter for Removal of Siloxanes from ISS Atmosphere(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Carter, Donald; Kayatin, Matthew; Wilson, Mark; Perry, Jay; Rector, Tony; Agui, Juan; Gentry, Gregory; Bowman, Elizabeth; Greene, RobertDimethylsilanediol (DMSD) has been identified as a problematic organic on ISS. This contaminant was initially identified in the ISS condensate and in the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) product water in 2010 when the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) detected an increasing TOC trend in the water produced by the WPA. DMSD is not a crew health hazard at the levels observed in the product water, but it may degrade the performance of the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) which uses the WPA product water for electrolysis. In addition, it can prevent the effective operation of the WPA catalytic reactor, and necessitates early replacement of Multifiltration Beds in the WPA. An investigation into the source of DMSD has determined that polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMSs) are hydrolyzing in the Condensing Heat Exchanger (CHX) to form DMSD. PDMSs are prevalent on ISS from a variety of sources, including crew hygiene products, adhesives, caulks, lubricants, and various nonmetallics. These PDMSs are also known to contribute to degradation of the CHX hydrophilic coating, 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 out of the Heat Exchanger, which can lead to microbial growth in the air ducts and can impact the performance of downstream systems. Design concepts have now been developed for removing PDMS in the air stream before it can reach the CHX coating, thus preventing degradation of the coating and decomposition of the PDMS to DMSD. This paper summarizes the current status of the effort to deliver filters to ISS for removing PDMSs from the atmosphere before they can adversely impact the performance of the CHX coating and the WPA.Item Design of an Adsorption Bed for Exploration Trace Contaminant Control(2024 International Conference on Environmnetal Systems, 2024-07-21) Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, Jay; Williams, JenniferThe state-of-the-art in long mission duration spacecraft trace contaminant control processes relies on physical and chemical adsorption for contaminant removal. Target species for adsorption include low and semivolatile organic compounds while chemisorption is utilized for metabolic ammonia control. When adsorption is employed in conjunction with a high temperature oxidation process, a complementary impact on cabin air quality may be realized. The adsorption bed also serves to guard the downstream oxidation catalyst from foulants and potential poisons which may decrease its lifetime and activity. To this end, a packed adsorption guard-bed was sized to control a statistical contaminant load model over a simulated Mars transit mission duration. The updated load model incorporates flight air-quality data and contemporary metabolic source emission literature. The guard-bed was operated in tandem with an exploration prototype thermal catalytic oxidizer. The exploration guard-bed prototype included design considerations from recent flight technology demonstrations and changes intended to improve compatibility with enriched oxygen exploration cabin environments as compared to the prior-art of contaminant control system design.Item Development of a Microlith® Catalytic Oxidizer for Exploration Trace Contaminant Control(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, Jay; Vilekar, Saurabh; Morgan, CurtisThe state-of-the-art in long mission duration spacecraft trace contaminant control processes rely on high-temperature catalytic oxidation for light contaminant removal. Target compounds for oxidation include metabolic methane, carbon monoxide, and low molecular weight volatile organics such as formaldehyde and methanol. Precision Combustion, Inc. and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center have been developing and testing prototype high temperature catalytic oxidizers based on PCI's patented Microlith® technology to meet the requirements of future spaceflight exploration missions. To this end, our latest generation Microlith oxidizer, featuring an integrated heat recuperator, was subjected to endurance testing to simulate catalyst ageing over a Mars transit mission duration. Periodic reactor health testing indicates our approach results in a robust contaminant control solution for exploration missions beyond low earth orbit. Based on the demonstrated performance of this unit, a next-generation prototype was designed to meet exploration contaminant load control demands while upgrading the prototype form and fit to match flight-compatible interfaces. Prototype design considerations intended to reduce power consumption, impacting process thermal and hydraulic performance, are discussed herein.Item Development of Advanced ISS-WPA Catalysts for Organic Oxidation at Reduced Pressure and Temperature(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Yu, Ping; Nalette, Timothy; Kayatin, MatthewThe Water Processor Assembly (WPA) at International Space Station (ISS) processes a waste stream via multi-filtration beds, where inorganic and non-volatile organic contaminants are removed, and a catalytic reactor, where low molecular weight organics not removed by the adsorption process are oxidized at elevated pressure in the presence of oxygen and elevated temperature above the normal water boiling point. Operation at an elevated pressure requires a more complex system design compared to a reactor that could operate at ambient pressure. However, catalysts currently available have insufficient activity to achieve complete oxidation of the organic load at a temperature less than the water boiling point and ambient pressure. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop a more active and efficient catalyst at ambient pressure and a moderate temperature that is less than water boiling temperature. This paper describes our efforts in developing high efficiency water processing catalysts. Different catalyst support structures and coating metals were investigated in subscale reactors and results were compared against the flight WPA catalyst. Detailed improvements achieved on alternate metal catalysts at ambient pressure and 200oF will also be presented in the paper.Item Dynamic Modeling of Gaseous Multicomponent Trace Contaminant Adsorption(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-06-07) Roohi, Stephanie; Lange, Kevin; Perry, Jay; Kayatin, MatthewActivated carbon is a porous material in the Trace Contaminant Control (TCC) system that physically adsorbs volatile organic compounds generated within spacecraft and spacesuit environments. Several isotherm models exist to predict adsorption equilibria for processes involving multicomponent systems. This paper investigates the use of Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST) for predicting multicomponent trace contaminant adsorption behavior using single-component isotherms based on potential theory. Developing simulations of high velocity, low aspect ratio (HVLA) adsorption processes and classic low velocity, high aspect ratio (LVHA) adsorption processes will gauge the validity of the theorem on the sizing and design of TCCS architecture. Model results are compared with available test data and predictions of the FORTRAN TCCS computer program (TCCS-CP) used historically.Item Effect of Flow Velocity and VOCs on Ammonia Adsorption in Acid Impregnated Activated Carbon Sorbents(2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2020-07-31) Finn, Joshua; Monje, Oscar; Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, JayThe current trace contaminant control subassembly (TCCS) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) includes a packed bed containing Barnebey-Sutcliffe Type 3032 (BS-3032) activated carbon to control ammonia levels in cabin air. The activated carbon encounters trace amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which enter the cabin through material offgassing, human metabolism, and crew activities. As part of an effort to address BS-3032 commercial obsolescence, two candidate replacements—Ammonasorb II and Chemsorb 1425—were tested in the presence of VOCs to examine the effects of these compounds on ammonia adsorption capacity. Gas streams containing acetone, ethanol, toluene and ammonia were generated to challenge each sorbent at 40% relative humidity (RH) and 23°C. These ersatz mixtures were delivered to test beds at two flow rates, a key parameter affecting mass transfer kinetics. Results were compared to previous pure component tests using only ammonia. The presence of VOCs decreased adsorption capacity of Ammonasorb II, especially at low flow rates, and had no effect on Chemsorb 1425 capacity at either flow rate.Item Effect of Particle Size on Adsorptive Capacity in Granular Activated Carbon Sorbents(50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/12/2021) Finn, Joshua; Monje, Oscar; Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, JayCandidate sorbents for air revitalization aboard the International Space Station (ISS) include impregnated activated carbons for NH3 removal and activated carbons for trace contaminant removal. A rapid method for determining the adsorptive capacities of these sorbents uses small particle size (~12x20 mesh) to allow breakthrough curves to be determined in 8-12 hours, as opposed to 3-4 days for conventional 4x8 particles. In this study, the effect of particle size on the measurement of adsorptive capacity measurements is determined by comparing capacities obtained using crushed vs uncrushed sorbents exposed to the same simulated spacecraft gas streams. The effect of particle size was studied using activated carbons and acid impregnated activated carbons.Item Energy Efficient Microlith®-based Catalytic Reactor and Recuperator for Air Quality Control Applications(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Vilekar, Saurabh; Hawley, Kyle; Junaedi, Christian; Crowder, Bruce; Prada, Julian; Mastanduno, Richard; Perry, Jay; Kayatin, MatthewPrecision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) and NASA – Marshall (MSFC) have been developing, characterizing, and optimizing high temperature catalytic oxidizers (HTCO) based on PCI’s patented Microlith® technology to meet the requirements of future extended human spaceflight explorations. Previous efforts focused on integrating the HTCO unit with a compact, simple recuperative heat exchanger to reduce the overall system size and weight. Significant improvement was demonstrated over traditional approaches of integrating the HTCO with an external recuperative heat exchanger. While the critical target performance metrics were achieved, the thermal effectiveness of PCI’s recuperator remained a potential area of improvement to further reduce the energy requirements of the integrated system. Using the same material combinations and an improved recuperator design, the 2nd generation prototype has experimentally demonstrated 20 – 30% reduction (flow dependent) in the steady state power consumption, in comparison to the 1st Generation prototype, without compromising the destruction efficiency of methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Moreover, design modifications and improvements allow our prototype to be more easily manufactured compared to traditional brazed plate-fin recuperator designs. The 2nd Generation prototype was delivered to NASA-MSFC for validation testing. Here, we report and discuss the performance of the improved HTCO unit with a high efficiency recuperative heat exchanger based on testing at PCI and NASA-MSFC. The device is expected to provide a reliable and robust means of disposing of trace levels of methane and VOCs by converting them into carbon dioxide and water in order to maintain clean air in enclosed spaces, such as crewed spacecraft cabins.Item Evaluation of a Candidate Trace Contaminant Control Subsystem Architecture: The High Velocity, Low Aspect Ratio (HVLA) Adsorption Process(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, JayTraditional gas-phase trace contaminant control adsorption process flow is constrained as required to maintain high contaminant single-pass adsorption efficiency. Specifically, the bed superficial velocity is controlled to limit the adsorption mass-transfer zone length relative to the physical adsorption bed; this is aided by traditional high-aspect ratio bed design. Through operation in this manner, most contaminants, including those with relatively high potential energy are readily adsorbed. A consequence of this operational approach, however, is a limited available operational flow margin. By considering a paradigm shift in adsorption architecture design and operations, in which flows of high superficial velocity are treated by low-aspect ratio sorbent beds, the range of well-adsorbed contaminants becomes limited, but the process flow is increased such that contaminant leaks or emerging contaminants of interest may be effectively controlled. To this end, the high velocity, low aspect ratio (HVLA) adsorption process architecture was demonstrated against a trace contaminant load representative of the International Space Station atmosphere. Two HVLA concept packaging designs (linear flow and radial flow) were tested. The performance of each design was evaluated and compared against computer simulation. Utilizing the HVLA process, long and sustained control of heavy organic contaminants was demonstrated.Item Evaluation of Aquaporin Membranes Using ISS Humidity Condensate Ersatz Wastewater(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Shaw, Hali; Flynn, Michael; Parodi, Jurek; Stefanson, Ofir; Andersen, Thomas; Vogel, Jörg; Beeler, David; Coutts, Janelle; Kayatin, MatthewOn the International Space Station (ISS), distillate from the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) and humidity condensate from the cabin are processed through a sequence of operations including distillation, filtration, adsorption, ion exchange, and catalytic oxidation. The use of adsorption and ion exchange beds in the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) are one of the main contributors to the resupply mass requirement. Developing improvements to the multifiltration system in order to reduce or eliminate the usage rate of expendable media such as adsorbents and ion-exchange resins is an important part of the evolution of ISS systems for future exploration missions. Development of the ISS Multifiltration Bed Replacement (MFBR) technology is based on a new generation of biomimetic membranes derive their unique characteristics from a protein call an Aquaporin. These membranes are capable of rejecting many semi-volatile organic compounds and were recently commercialized by the company Aquaporin A/S. NASA has conducted several studies on the use of Aquaporin membranes for the rejection of total organic carbon (TOC) of simulated ISS humidity condensate wastewater. Tests were conducted to determine the maximum water recovery ratio, and TOC rejection for both a flat sheet membrane and a membrane module. The results indicate that the aquaporin membrane can reject a minimum of 50% of the TOC using the simulated ISS humidity condensate ersatz, and achieves product water with a TOC value below 30 ppm.Item "Getter" Development for International Space Station Sabatier Assembly(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Yu, Ping; Woods, Julius; Corcoran, Matthew; Monje, Oscar; Finn, Riley; Perry, Jay; Kayatin, Matthew; Gavin, Lynda; Garr, John; Walker, StephanieThe Sabatier Assembly (SA) P/N SV1015510-1 was designed by Collins Aerospace to partially close the life support loop on ISS by reacting two waste gases (carbon dioxide and hydrogen) to form water (and waste methane). Waste CO2 is recovered by the Carbon Dioxide Recovery Assembly (CDRA) and waste H2 comes from the Oxygen Generation System (OGS). By recycling these waste gases, the SA reduces the need to launch excess water from earth ground. The SA was successfully launched in 2010 and remained in operation until October 2017. it had produced approximately 1081 liters of water. During the last year of operation, the Sabatier on?orbit unit began to show significant signs of degradation in the reactor which required increasingly involved procedures to restart the reaction after a shutdown. Eventually the SA was deactivated and returned to Collins for Test, Teardown and Evaluation (TT&E). In 2018, Collins performed a TT&E on the SA. TT&E results indicated that the primary source of degradation in the Sabatier system was due to contamination. In specific, the Reactor had become significantly poisoned with sulfur, silicon, fluorine, and chlorine which caused the active sites within the reactor to become inactive. Upon completion of the TT&E, a list of upgrades were recommend for a Sabatier 2.0 design. An upgraded Sabatier 2.0 system would be used to support Exploration demonstration hardware on ISS and beyond. One of the primary recommendations was to incorporate a �getter� sorbent bed. Collins has since worked with KSC, MSFC and JSC to develop the �getter� sorbent bed component for loading upstream of Sabatier reactor with a goal to provide a protection to the reactor from contamination and to extend its service life. This paper describes the joint efforts in developing a suitable Sabatier �getter�.Item The Incidence and Fate of Volatile Methyl Siloxanes in a Crewed Spacecraft Cabin(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Perry, Jay; Kayatin, MatthewVolatile methyl siloxanes (VMS) arise from diverse, pervasive sources aboard crewed spacecraft ranging from materials offgassing to volatilization from personal care products. These sources lead to a persistent VMS compound presence in the cabin environment that must be considered for robust life support system design. Volatile methyl siloxane compound stability in the cabin environment presents an additional technical issue because degradation products such as dimethylsilanediol (DMSD) are highly soluble in water leading to a unique load challenge for water purification processes. The incidence and fate of VMS compounds as observed in the terrestrial atmosphere, water, and surface (soil) environmental compartments have been evaluated as an analogy for a crewed cabin environment. Volatile methyl siloxane removal pathways aboard crewed spacecraft are discussed and a material balance accounting for a DMSD production mechanism consistent with in-flight observations is presented.Item Lightweight Flight Compatible Microlith® Catalytic Oxidizer for Exploration Trace Contaminant Control(2024 International Conference on Environmnetal Systems, 2024-07-21) Vilekar, Saurabh; Morgan, Curtis; Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, JayPrecision Combustion, Inc. and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center have been developing and testing prototype high temperature catalytic oxidizers based on PCI�s patented Microlith� technology to meet the requirements of future spaceflight exploration missions. Based on the demonstrated performance (20,000+ hours) of a subscale prototype, a next-generation prototype was designed and demonstrated to meet exploration contaminant load control demands while upgrading the prototype form and fit to match flight-compatible interfaces. The design was further improved with lightweighting efforts targeting ~20% weight reduction. Prototype design considerations also intended to reduce power consumption, impacting process thermal and hydraulic performance, are discussed herein. We also report on the performance characteristics of the packaged, lightweight catalytic oxidizer.Item Overview of the International Space Station’s Water and Cabin Air Quality: A Five-Year Status(2024 International Conference on Environmnetal Systems, 2024-07-21) Williamson, Jill; Kayatin, Matthew; Nguyen, Hang; Hudson, Ed; Wallace, William; Williams, Spencer; Castro-Wallace, Sarah; Muirhead, Dean; McCool, ChelseaSince the beginning of the International Space Station (ISS), water and air quality have been monitored to ensure crew health and verify the performance of the regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) systems. Over the last 25 years, the ISS has evolved greatly with significant changes to operations, crew complement sizes, visiting vehicles, payloads, and upgrades within the regenerative hardware, seen through Technology Demonstration integrations. In particular, better assessment and prevention of volatile organic releases from payloads and crew hygiene products, and implementation of advance sorbents both on the air and water strings have been successful in reducing contaminant loads. Data on air and water quality for the last five years on ISS will be presented (nominal and contingency air grab samples, in-flight monitoring for air and water quality, and water samples from all segments of the ISS water system), including some notable events. The available data demonstrate the performance of existing ECLS systems and overall status of how the approach to air and water quality have evolved through the new ISS architecture baseline operations.Item Performance of Flight Compatible Microlith® Catalytic Oxidizer for Exploration Trace Contaminant Control(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Vilekar, Saurabh; Morgan, Curtis; Kayatin, Matthew; Perry, JayPrecision Combustion, Inc. and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center have been developing and testing prototype high temperature catalytic oxidizers based on PCI’s patented Microlith® technology to meet the requirements of future spaceflight exploration missions. Based on the demonstrated performance (17,000+ hours) of a subscale prototype, a next-generation prototype was designed to meet exploration contaminant load control demands while upgrading the prototype form and fit to match flight-compatible interfaces. Prototype design considerations intended to reduce power consumption, impacting process thermal and hydraulic performance, are discussed herein. We also report on the performance characteristics of the catalytic oxidizer.Item The Spacecraft Mass Balance as a Diagnostic Tool for Cabin Air Quality(50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/12/2021) Kayatin, MatthewThe spacecraft-level mass balance is a powerful tool for diagnosing and decoupling factors influencing cabin air quality, especially with respect to trace contaminant propagation. Successful implementation of this approach relies upon accurate and temporally relevant air quality measurements, which are often challenging to attain for emerging trace contaminants. In addition to the proper interpretation of air quality data trends, a thorough understanding of subsystem-level mass transfer is required to characterize process performance. For many Environmental Control and Life Support System processes, subsystem mass transfer may be predicted based on physicochemical properties and classic unit operation design approaches. Gaps in understanding of process performance should be supplemented with thorough ground testing. A high confidence in the fidelity of one of these two aspects, air quality data or process performance, may help offset uncertainties in the other. At minimum, thresholding assumptions and numerical methods can be imposed to constrain unknown parameters within the physical envelope of the situation at hand. Finally, the complexity of cabin-wide integrated mass balances may be reduced by implementing a phenomenological approach towards subsystem discretization.Item The Fate of Trace Contaminants in a Crewed Spacecraft Cabin Environment(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Perry, Jay; Kayatin, MatthewTrace chemical contaminants produced via equipment offgassing, human metabolic sources, and vehicle operations are removed from the cabin atmosphere by active contaminantion control equipment and incidental removal by other air quality control equipment. The fate of representative trace contaminants commonly observed in spacecraft cabin atmospheres is explored. Removal mechanisms are described and predictive mass balance techniques are reviewed. Results from the predictive techniques are compared to cabin air quality analysis results. Considerations are discussed for an integrated trace contaminant control architecture suitable for long duration crewed space exploration missions.