Development of an Adsorption System for the Trash Compaction Processing System designed for operation in the International Space Station Express Rack

Date

2020-07-31

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems

Abstract

A water recovery system that utilizes adsorption to work with the Trash Compaction Processing System, formerly known as the Heat Melt Compactor, is being designed at NASA Ames Research Center as an option to current state of the art micro-gravity water management systems and contaminant control systems used in space. The adsorption system will be used in conjunction with the International Space Station Vacuum Exhaust system to avoid both the complexities of gas liquid phase separation in micro-gravity and venting of Trash Compaction Processing System effluents to the spacecraft cabin. The adsorption system will allow the water and gaseous effluents generated during the Trash Compaction System operation to be removed in a matter that meets the Vacuum Exhaust System venting rate requirements. The Trash Compaction Processing System is planned to fly as a Technology Demonstration on the International Space Station in the space station EXPRESS Rack facility. This paper describes the trade space that the adsorption system must operate in using the EXPRESS Rack facilities resources including the use of the Space Station Vacuum Exhaust System. Also described in this paper are design solutions to allow the adsorption system to function within the Express Rack and Vacuum Exhaust System Parameters.

Description

Gregory Pace
Jeff Lee
Jurek Parodi
Justine Richardson
Serena Trieu
Janine Young
Kevin Martin
ICES304: Physio-Chemical Life Support- Waste Management Systems- Technology and Process Development
The proceedings for the 2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems were published from July 31, 2020. The technical papers were not presented in person due to the inability to hold the event as scheduled in Lisbon, Portugal because of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Keywords

Heat melt compactor (HMC), Trash Compaction and Processing System (TCPS), Adsorption, International Space Station (ISS), Vacuum exhaust system (VES)

Citation