2020-07-272020-07-272020-07-31ICES_2020_35https://hdl.handle.net/2346/86332Yo-Ann Velez, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USDonald Carter, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USMononita Nur, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USGeoffrey Angle, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Engineering Services and Science Capability Augmentation (ESSCA), USICES404: International Space Station ECLS: SystemsThe 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.Biofilm growth is a significant concern for NASA’s current and future water systems. The International Space Station (ISS) Water Processor Assembly (WPA) produces potable water from a combination of humidity condensate and urine distillate. After two years of operation, the WPA experienced a significant failure (clogged solenoid valve) due to biofilm growth in the waste tank that collects these two waste streams. The WPA waste tank now requires significant management to prevent biofilm from impacting downstream components. This issue is magnified for future NASA manned missions due to the need to place the vehicle’s life support system in a dormant state during uncrewed operations (e.g., when vehicle is in Mars orbit during surface mission). The urine distillate and humidity condensate are also expected to be an issue during dormancy, especially where these waste streams originate (the condenser in the Distillation Assembly of the Urine Processor) and the Water Separators that collects and delivers the humidity condensate removed from the atmosphere. To address these concerns, NASA is performing an ongoing research task to a) identify viable methods for inhibiting growth of biofilms, b) develop design solutions for implementing these various methods, c) perform a trade study to select methods (taking into account the design solutions), and d) evaluate effectiveness in ground test prior future missions This paper provides an overview of the current status on this effort.application/pdfengBiofilmWaterWater recovery system (WRS)Presentation