Upgrades to the International Space Station Urine Processor Assembly
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Abstract
The ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) began operations in November 2008. Though the UPA has successfully generated distillate from crew urine, several modifications and upgrades have been implemented to improve overall system performance throughout the years. Current and future upgrades to the UPA will continue to focus on improved system performance and reliability, focusing primarily on the Distillation Assembly and upgrades to the UPA vacuum pump. Work towards a flight demonstration experiment of a vacuum pump utilizing scroll pump technologies has also continued forward. The following paper discusses progress on these various concepts, including the implementation of a more reliable drive belt, improved methods for managing condensate in the stationary bowl of the Distillation Assembly, installation of improved centrifuge bearings, implementation of a liquid level sensor, and upgrades to the UPA vacuum pump.
Description
Layne Carter, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
Jimmy Hill, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
Rex Graves, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
Davey Jones, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
Danielle Morris, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
ICES404: International Space Station ECLS: Systems
The 49th International Conference on Environmental Systems as held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 07 July 2019 through 11 July 2019.