Browsing by Author "Wilson, Jonathan P."

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Brine Processor Assembly 2023-24: Operational Successes and Challenges on the International Space Station
(2024 International Conference on Environmnetal Systems, 2024-07-21) Boyce, Stephanie; Joyce, Connor; Pasadilla, Patrick; Palmer, Travis; Wilson, Jonathan P.; Williamson, Jill; Toon, Katherine
The Brine Processor Assembly (BPA), developed by Paragon Space Development Corporation as a one-year technology demonstration, has now been in operation onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for three years. BPA recovers available water from urine-brine produced by the ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) via forced convection of cabin air coupled with a patented membrane distillation process. A dual-layer ionomer and microporous membrane-based bladder retains the liquid brine while water vapor pervaporates into the cabin, for collection as humidity condensate. This paper will discuss updated performance results as well as the practical operational challenges of maintaining hardware on the ISS. In August 2023, BPA operations were automatically halted when the Brine Leak Alarm annunciated. Crew opened the BPA to confirm that there was no actual leakage of brine, upon which it was discovered that corrosion had developed on the Brine Leak Sensor. Paragon has been working with NASA to extend the life of the sensor and safely operate BPA, as well as to launch the spare replacement component. As of May 2024, 41 full operational runs have been completed spanning 612 days of active operations, recovering an estimated 741 kg (L) of water from urine-brine. This represents a cost savings of over $80 million from the mass of water that has not needed to be launched to or discarded on ISS, minus the cost of consumables (bladders and odor filters). The BPA currently has an impressive 6x water-to-up mass recovery ratio, meaning BPA has recovered 6x as much water as the mass of the BPA hardware itself and all consumables (bladders, spares, and odor filters). This has helped NASA to claim 98% water recovery on ISS, achieving an essential capability to enable human exploration of deeper space.
Brine Processor Assembly: A Year of Successful Operation on the International Space Station
(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Boyce, Stephanie; Joyce, Connor; Pasadilla, Patrick; Tewes, Phillip; Wilson, Jonathan P.; Williamson, Jill; Toon, Katherine
Paragon Space Development Corporation developed a Brine Processor Assembly (BPA) as a technical demonstration for the International Space Station (ISS), which has now been operating continuously for 18 months. BPA recovers water from urine brine produced by the ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) via forced convection of cabin air coupled with a patented membrane distillation process. An ionomer-microporous membrane-based bladder retains the liquid brine while water vapor pervaporates into the cabin, for collection as humidity condensate. This paper will discuss progress to-date on BPA performance. As of May 2023, 22 full operational runs have been completed, recovering nearly 400 L of water from urine brine. This represents a cost savings of over $40 Million from the mass of water that has not needed to be launched to or discarded on ISS, minus the cost of consumables (bladders and odor filters). On orbit telemetry has been used to further refine the thermal model for more accurate predictions of water recovery. Water recovery operations continue to align closely with ground test results, and the added exhaust filter has performed well in eliminating nuisance odor. Several dewatered bladders have been returned to Earth to assess the inner membrane pore wetting, confirm dewatered weight, as well as to assess dewatered brine concentration and composition at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). By increasing overall water recovery on ISS, BPA demonstrates a critical capability needed to close the water processing technology gap identified in NASA�s Water Recovery Technology Roadmap. The continued on-orbit operations of BPA contribute significant knowledge and understanding to the most efficient methods to recover water and inform best practices for future implementation of Paragon�s water reclamation technologies. This technology achieves an essential capability to enable human exploration of deep space.
Status of ISS Water Management and Recovery
(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Williamson, Jill; Luong, Hieu; Robinson, Kristina; Wilson, Jonathan P.
Water 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, Waste & Hygiene Compartment (WHC) and Toilet for flush water, and for experiments on ISS. This paper summarizes water management activities on the ISS US Segment as of March 2023 and provides a status of the performance and issues related to the operation of the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) and Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), and the Brine Processor Assembly (BPA).