Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Brose, H. F..
Modified system leaks less and easier to disassemble for maintenance. Redesign of wastewater-recovery system separates water from urine: improved operation and system easier to maintain. Details of redesign, chiefly affected hollow-fiber-membrane evaporator, described in report.
Report evaluates and compares three alternative approaches to hygienic containment of human wastes. Three practical means of waste collection: filter-bag collection with compaction by fan suction, canister collection with compaction by force applied to compaction cups or disks, and sleeve collection with compaction by rollers and winding on reel. Potentially useful in airplanes, buses, boats, trains, and campers and temporary toilets for construction sites and outdoor gatherings.
It is becoming evident that there is an emerging role for manned space platforms in the 1980's and 1990's. Space platforms will place heavy emphasis on habitability support systems. Initial space platforms which may become reality in the 1985-1990 time period will build on prior space flight experience from Skylab, Spacelab, early space habitats or modules leading to the advent of multimodule space platforms which will herald continued occupancy in space. Emphasis is placed on habitability needs for space platforms which may be constructed in the mid 1980's to early 1990's. Crew size from under 10 to near 100 will be the main concentration. Energy supply will rapidly transfer from the Shuttle fuel cells to dependency on larger and larger solar cell arrays.
The Representative Shuttle Environmental Control System (RSECS) provides a ground test bed to be used in the early accumulation of component and system operating data, the evaluation of potential system improvements, and possibly the analysis of Shuttle Orbiter test and flight anomalies. Selected components are being subjected to long term tests to determine endurance and corrosion resistance capability prior to Orbiter vehicle experience. Component and system level tests in several cases are being used to support flight certification of Orbiter hardware. These activities are conducted as a development program to allow for timeliness, flexibility, and cost effectiveness not possible in a program burdened by flight documentation and monitoring constraints.
The Representative Shuttle Environmental Control System (RSECS) program was conceived to provide NASA with a prototype system representative of the Shuttle Environmental Control System (ECS). Discussed are the RSECS program objectives, predicated on updating and adding to the early system as required to retain its usefulness during the Shuttle ECS development and qualification effort. Ultimately, RSECS will be replaced with a flight-designed system using either refurbished development or qualification equipment to provide NASA with a flight simulation capability during the Shuttle missions. The RSECS air revitalization subsystem and the waste management support subsystem are being tested. A water coolant subsystem and a freon coolant subsystem are in the development and planning phases.
The atmosphere revitalization group (ARG) for the space station prototype (SSP) environmental/thermal control and life support system (ETC/LSS) has been designed to meet a comprehensive set of requirements and constraints for a flight type mission. Design definition is for a modular vehicle temperature and humidity control subsystem, contaminant control equipment, a hydrogen depolarized cell CO2 concentrator, a water electrolysis oxygen generation subsystem, CO2 reduction equipment, and a pressure and composition control subsystem. Performance requirements are for support of a crew of six. Realistic leakage rates and metabolic activity cycles, cabin temperature selectability, and controlled cabin relative humidities are specified for the design. Operational aspects of the subsystem are discussed with emphasis given to the influence of a 180-day, maintainable requirement on system design. Consideration of flight vehicle type packaging, in flight maintenance, data management systems interface and fault detection capability, and electrical supply constraints is covered.
The optimization trends and operating parameters of an integral molecular sieve bed heat exchanger were investigated. The optimum combination of substrate and coating for the HS-B porous polymer was determined based on the CO2 dynamic capacity in the presence of water vapor. Full size HS-B canister performance was evaluated. An Amine CO2 Concentrator utilizing IR-45 sorber material and available Manned Orbiting Laboratory hardware was designed, fabricated and tested for use as an experiment in the NASA 90-day space simulator test of 1970. It supported four men in the simulator for 71 days out of the 90-day test duration.
Hydrogen depolarized fuel cell for space station prototype carbon dioxide concentrator, describing modular design concept and operation