
A
new generation apparatus for the astronauts' water provision during long-term
space flights
The apparatus is
intended for the regeneration of water from a manned spacecraft crew's liquid
vital activity wastes.
The apparatus
consists of a centrifugal distiller, a thermoelectric heat pump and
prefiltering and reconstruction devices.
Parameters of
the apparatus:
-
renovated
water efficiency - up to 6 I /hour;
-
specific
energy consumption - < 100 W-hour/l;
-
water
purification rate (recovery) - 92-95%;
- apparatus capacity- 0.1 m3;
-
weight - 30 kg.
As
compared to the well-known analogues, it shows the specific energy consumption
by 1.5 to 3 times lower, water purification rate from 10 to 20% higher whereas
dimensions and weight are from 2 to 3 times smaller.
The
apparatus was designed and developed on the base of scientific achievements of
the national Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” and
the Institute of Thermoelectricity of the National academy of Sciences and the
Ministry of Education and Sciences of Ukraine.
Table 1. Technical
parameters of Distiller CD-5
Name of parameter |
Dimensions |
Significance |
The number of
cascades |
|
5 |
Power of drive
motor |
W. |
200 |
Performance of
distillate |
l/hour |
5,0 |
Resistivity
power |
W—hour/l |
<110 |
The extraction
degree |
,% |
93-95 |
Weight |
kg |
19,6 |
Dimensions |
Мм |
600х280х280 |
Table 2. The main
results of the chemical analysis of distiller received at work CD-5 on urine
|
TDS ppn |
TOC ppn |
Ammonia mg/l |
Conductivity
MSm |
Standard |
<100 |
<200 |
<10 |
<200 |
Testing results |
50…55 |
27…32 |
6,7…9,5 |
<110 |
Development
is protected by patents of Ukraine (№ 35941А from 16.04/2001yr.), Russia (№ 2127627 from
21.07.1998yr.) and in two by U.S.A. patents (Patent No.: US 6,258,215 Bl. Date
of Patent: Jul. 10.2001; US Patent 7610768 B2 – November 3, 2009).
In
2008-2009 years system CD-5 + THP was a long-term testing on the stand NASA in
the U.S.A. During the tests, it was work up more than 1,500 liters of waste
water (sanitary-hygienic water, urine, condensate evaporation).