Browsing by Author "Wisniewski, Richard"
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Item Brine Drying in Droplets and Thin Films(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Wisniewski, RichardResearch has been conducted on drying of small urine brine samples in form of droplets and thin films. Sessile droplets of brine were dried in an oven on Teflon supports (Teflon film or plate). Thin films of brine were dried using glass Petri dishes in an oven. Small samples such as droplets or thin films have high ratio of surface area to sample volume - the phenomena at the sample surface are important to sample drying. Elevated solutes concentration at the surface leads to formation of solid precipitates and if they form crust at the surface that may hinder the drying process. The brine can also have an addition of inorganic acid and as water is removed, the acid becomes more concentrated and its viscosity increases affecting water diffusion coefficient, thus decreasing rate of water removal. Therefore, the brine droplet or film drying times may be longer than for water or salt solutions. Since urine composition is very complex, molecular and ionic interactions during brine dehydration under elevated temperature may take place affecting the drying process. Urine composition may also vary due to health conditions of the subjects. The results of analytical work were normalized to ratios of quantities of ions as well as urea molecule to compare the analytical results. The samples stickiness was investigated and it was found to be related to the mass decrease during drying. Issues of dehydration rate in time, urea decomposition and formation of solid deposits were addressed. This paper may provide useful information for other processes with thermal treatment of urine and urine brines as well as other complex fluids and their brines.Item Evaluation of Brine Processing Technologies for Spacecraft Wastewater(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Shaw, Hali L.; Flynn, Michael; Wisniewski, Richard; Lee, Jeffery; Jones, Harry; Delzeit, Lance; Shull, Sarah; Sargusingh, Miriam; Beeler, David; Howard, Jeanie; Howard, Kevin; Harris, Linden; Parodi, Jurek; Kawashima, BrianBrine drying systems may be used in spaceflight. There are several advantages to using brine processing technologies for long-duration human missions including a reduction in resupply requirements and achieving high water recovery ratios. The objective of this project was to evaluate four technologies for the drying of spacecraft water recycling system brine byproducts. The technologies tested were NASA’s Forward Osmosis Brine Drying (FOBD), Paragon’s Ionomer Water Processor (IWP), NASA’s Brine Evaporation Bag (BEB) System, and UMPQUA’s Ultrasonic Brine Dewatering System (UBDS). The purpose of this work was to evaluate the hardware using feed streams composed of brines similar to those generated on board the International Space Station (ISS) and future exploration missions. The brine formulations used for testing were the ISS Alternate Pretreatment and Solution 2 (Alt Pretreat). The brines were generated using the Wiped-film Rotating-disk (WFRD) evaporator, which is a vapor compression distillation system that is used to simulate the function of the ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). Each system was evaluated based on the results from testing and Equivalent System Mass (ESM) calculations. A Quality Function Deployment (QFD) matrix was also developed as a method to compare the different technologies based on customer and engineering requirements.Item Optimization of the Distiller Calcium Limiter (DCaL) System for Calcium Removal in Spacecraft Wastewater(44th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2014-07-13) Shaw, Hali; Flynn, Michael; Wisniewski, Richard; Delzeit, Lance; Shull, Sarah; Sargusingh, Miriam; Beeler, David; Howard, Jeanie; Howard, Kevin; Kawashima, Brian; Hayden, AnnaThe Distiller Calcium Limiter (DCaL) system removes calcium scale precursors from spacecraft wastewater. Previous research has indicated that the DCaL system successfully removes calcium, preventing the formation of calcium scale on heat transfer surfaces. The objective of this study was to optimize the DCaL system; this includes completing a mass balance, determining the optimum ion exchange membranes (anion and cation), and determining the effectiveness of electrodialysis reversal. Three membrane pairs were tested: Astom Neosepta® AMX/CMX (anion/cation), Astom AHA/CMB, and proprietary research membranes AEM/CEM. Tests were conducted using three individual test stands with different cell stacks that contained the membranes. The feed used for testing consisted of CaCl2 (20 g/L) and NaCl (25 g/L). The results from the testing were used to determine which membrane was the most efficient at removing calcium. A chemical compatibility test was then conducted by completing permselectivity tests, which were used to compare new membranes versus membranes that were previously soaked in brine (a concentrated urine mixture containing chromic acid) for 99 days. SEM images were also taken of the membranes soaked in brine to view any physical changes that may have occurred. The effect of electrodialysis reversal was determined by completing tests using ISS simulated wastewater (US/Russian chromic acid ISS pretreatment) and the DCaL-WFRD system. Three material balance tests were conducted to distinguish the ion transfer rates and water transfer rates. A vacuum test was completed to determine whether the electrodialysis stack could hold vacuum. Based on testing, the results showed that the Astom Neosepta® AMX and CMX membranes provided the highest performance in terms of calcium removal and chemical compatibility. The results also showed that electrodialysis reversal improves calcium removal and prevents fouling of the membranes. The material balance confirmed that the DCaL system removes calcium; however, additional tests are necessary to obtain data with better resolution and to determine the effect of more complex feed mixtures.Item Space and Industrial Brine Drying Technologies(44th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2014-07-13) Jones, Harry W.; Wisniewski, Richard; Flynn, Michael; Shaw, HaliThis survey describes brine drying technologies that have been developed for use in space and industry. NASA has long considered developing a brine drying system for the International Space Station (ISS). Possible processes include conduction drying in many forms, spray drying, distillation, freezing and freeze drying, membrane filtration, and electrical processes. Commercial processes use similar technologies. Some proposed space systems combine several approaches. The current most promising candidates for use on the ISS use either conduction drying with membrane filtration or spray drying.Item Spray Drying Technology Review(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Wisniewski, RichardThis article reviews spray drying technology for possible space applications like processing of concentrated brines that are produced in evaporation/concentration equipment with a goal of maximum water recovery. Spray drying principles of convection, radiation and mixed convection-radiation are reviewed. Dryer designs and performance are reviewed. Subjects of system dynamics and controls are discussed. Adaptations of existing spray drying concepts to microgravity environment are suggested. Guidelines for design of the spray drying systems for space applications are proposed.