CDRILS Durability Upgrades and 4-crew-scale CO2 Removal Testing

The Carbon Dioxide Removal by Ionic Liquid System (CDRILS) utilizes a continuously recirculated ionic liquid sorbent and hollow fiber membrane contactors for carbon dioxide removal from air. The CDRILS 4-crew scale ground prototype and smaller-scale CDRILS breadboard demonstrations underwent extended durability trials during which previously reported aging effects were rigorously quantified. Membrane, sorbent, and system configuration upgrades have demonstrated benefits to long-term system durability compared to the baseline aging rate. Flight-scale membrane contactors have demonstrated 4-crew scale CO2 removal and have replaced the previously used developmental small-diameter contactors in parallel toward flight readiness. These upgraded materials and configurations are being incorporated into the 4-crew scale CDRILS flight demonstration unit design.