Engineering topics

Colombo, Gerald V.

Publications and source records attributed to Colombo, Gerald V..

10 records

NASA NTRS1994

Regenerable Iodine Water-Disinfection System

Iodinated resin bed for disinfecting water regenerated to extend its useful life. Water flows through regeneration bed of crystalline iodine during regeneration. At other times, flow diverted around regeneration bed. Although regeneration cycle was manually controlled in demonstration, readily automated to start and stop according to signals and stop according to signals from concentration sensors. Further benefit of regeneration is that regeneration bed provides highly concentrated biocide source (200 mg/L) when needed. Concentrated biocide used to superiodinate system after contamination from routine maintenance or unexpected introduction of large concentration of microbes.

Sauer, Richard L.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Regenerable Iodine Water-Disinfection System

Iodinated resin bed for disinfecting water regenerated to extend useful life. Water flows through regeneration bed of crystalline iodine during regeneration. At other times, flow diverted around regeneration bed. Although regeneration cycle manually controlled readily automated to start and stop according to signals from concentration sensors. Further benefit of regeneration is bed provides highly concentrated biocide source when needed. Concentrated biocide used to superiodinate system after contamination from routine maintenance or unexpected introduction of large concentration of microbes.

Sauer, Richard L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Regenerable biocide delivery unit

A method and apparatus are disclosed for maintaining continuous, long-term microbial control in the water supply for potable, hygiene, and experimental water for space activities, as well as treatment of water supplies on Earth. The water purification is accomplished by introduction of molecular iodine into the water supply to impart a desired iodine residual. The water is passed through an iodinated anion exchange resin bed. The iodine is bound as I-(sub n) at the anion exchange sites and releases I(sub 2) into the water stream flowing through the bed. The concentration of I(sub 2) in the flowing water gradually decreases and, in the prior art, the ion-exchange bed has had to be replaced. In a preferred embodiment, a bed of iodine crystals is provided with connections for flowing water therethrough to produce a concentrated (substantially saturated) aqueous iodine solution which is passed through the iodinated resin bed to recharge the bed with bound iodine. The bed of iodine crystals is connected in parallel with the iodinated resin bed and is activated periodically (e.g., by timer, by measured flow of water, or by iodine residual level) to recharge the bed. Novelty resides in the capability of inexpensively and repeatedly regenerating the ion-exchange bed in situ.

Sauer, Richard L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Single phase space laundry development

This paper describes a newly designed, 2.7 Kg (6 pound) capacity, laundry machine called the Single Phase Laundry (SPSL). The machine was designed to wash and dry crew clothing in a micro-gravity environment. A prototype unit was fabricated for NASA-JSC under a Small Business Innovated Research (SBIR) contract extending from September 1990 to January 1993. The unit employs liquid jet agitation, microwave vacuum drying, and air jet tumbling, which was perfected by KC-135 zero-g flight testing. Operation is completely automated except for loading and unloading clothes. The unit uses about 20 percent less power than a conventional household appliance.

Colombo, Gerald V.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Regenerable biocide delivery unit

The Microbial Check Valve (MCV) is used on the Space Shuttle to impart an iodine residual to the drinking water to maintain microbial control. Approximately twenty MCV locations have been identified in the Space Station Freedom design, each with a 90-day life. This translates to 2400 replacement units in 30 years of operation. An in situ regeneration concept has been demonstrated that will reduce this replacement requirement to less than 300 units based on data to date. A totally automated system will result in significant savings in crew time, resupply requirements, and replacement costs. An additional feature of the device is the ability to provide a concentrated biocide source (200 mg/liter of I2) that can be used to superiodinate systems routinely or after a microbial upset.

Colombo, Gerald V.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Recovery of hygiene water by multifiltration

A multifiltration hygiene water reclamation process that utilizes adsorption and particulate filtration techniques is described and evaluated. The applicability of the process is tested using a simulation of a 4-man subsystem operation for 240 days. It is proposed the process has a 10 year life, weighs 236 kg, and uses 88 kg of expendable filters and adsorption beds to process 8424 kg of water. The data reveal that the multifiltration is an efficient nonphase change technique for hygiene water recovery and that the chemical and microbiological purity of the product water is within the standards specified for the Space Station hygiene water.

Putnam, David F.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Metal oxide regenerable carbon dioxide removal system for an advanced portable life support system

The development of a CO2 removal system for an astronaut portable life support system to meet the EVA requirements for the Space Station is discussed, focusing on the factors important in the selection of the metal oxide absorbent for CO2 removal. Results from laboratory tests on metal oxide absorbent materials are given, including characterization studies and dynamic CO2 uptake and regeneration measurements. The preliminary design of the breadboard system to perform both the absorption and regeneration functions is presented.

Nacheff, Maurena S.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Review of water disinfection techniques

Throughout the history of manned space flight the supply of potable water to the astronauts has presented unique problems. Of particular concern has been the microbiological quality of the potable water. This has required the development of both preflight water system servicing procedures to disinfect the systems and inflight disinfectant addition and monitoring devices to ensure continuing microbiological control. The disinfectants successfully used to date have been aqueous chlorine or iodine. Because of special system limitations the use of iodine has been the most successful for inflight use and promises to be the agent most likely to be used in the future. Future spacecraft potable, hygiene, and experiment water systems will utilize recycled water. This will present special problems for water quality control. NASA is currently conducting research and development to solve these problems.

Colombo, Gerald V.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Pre- and posttreatment techniques for spacecraft water recovery

The objective was to develop techniques for satisfactory pretreatment of waste water (urine and wash water) prior to recovery by distillation and satisfactory post-treatment of the recovered water and humidity condensate for purification to the high quality necessary for reuse. The effort included literature and laboratory investigations, feasibility evaluations of candidate approaches, and development of conceptual designs for a waste water pretreatment system and a recovered water post-treatment system.

Putnam, David F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Pre- and post-treatment techniques for spacecraft water recovery

Distillation-based waste water pretreatment and recovered water posttreatment methods are proposed for the NASA Space Station. Laboratory investigation results are reported for two nonoxidizing urine pretreatment formulas (hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and Cu/Cr) which minimize the generation of volatile organics, thereby significantly reducing posttreatment requirements. Three posttreatment methods (multifiltration, reverse osmosis, and UV-assisted ozone oxidation) have been identified which appear promising for the removal of organic contaminants from recovered water.

Putnam, David F.↗