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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Urine pretreatment for waste water processing systems

Recovery of high quality water from urine is an essential part of life support on a Space Station to avoid costly launch and resupply penalties. Water can be effectively recovered from urine by distillation following pretreatment by a chemical agent to inhibit microorganism contamination and fix volatile ammonia constituents. This paper presents the results of laboratory investigations of several pretreatment chemicals which were tested at several concentration levels in combination with sulfuric acid in urine. The optimum pretreatment formulation was then evaluated with urine in the Hamilton Standard Thermoelectric Integrated Membrane Evaporation Subsystem (TIMES). Over 2600 hours of test time was accumulated. Results of these laboratory and system tests are presented in this paper.

Winkler, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Microbiological and corrosion analysis of three urine pretreatment regimes with titanium 6A1-4V

One objective of the water recovery test (WRT) performed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) of Space Station Freedom is to determine the ability of the water recovery system to reclaim urine for crew reuse. In the process, raw urine is pretreated using a commercially available oxidant, Oxone (Dupont), and sulfuric acid (to reduce ammonia), and pumped into a urine processing subsystem. A combination of sodium hypochlorite and sulfuric acid were also considered as an alternative pretreatment. The ability of these pretreatments, plus a third pretreatment of ozone, to reduce microbial levels in urine generated during testing of the water recovery system at MSFC was examined. In addition, the corrosion rate of weld and base metal specimens of titanium 6A1-4V, a candidate material for the water system of Space Station Freedom, was monitored in the presence of these pretreatments. Specimen surfaces were examined at completion of the 21-day test using scanning electron microscopy. Change in pH, color, turbidity, and odor were recorded over the course of the test.

Huff, Timothy L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Microbiological test results using three urine pretreatment regimes with 316L stainless steel

Three urine pretreatments, (1) Oxone (Dupont) and sulfuric acid, (2) sodium hypochlorite and sulfuric acid, (3) and ozone, were studied for their ability to reduce microbial levels in urine and minimize surface attachment to 316L stainless steel coupons. Urine samples inoculated with Bacillus insolitus and a filamentous mold, organisms previously recovered from the vapor compression distillation subsystem of NASA Space Station Freedom water recovery test were tested in glass corrosion cells containing base or weld metal coupons. Microbial levels, changes in pH, color, turbidity, and odor of the fluid were monitored over the course of the 21-day test. Specimen surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy at completion of the test for microbial attachment. Ozonated urine samples were less turbid and had lower microbial levels than controls or samples receiving other pretreatments. Base metal coupons receiving pretreatment were relatively free of attached bacteria. However, well-developed biofilms were found in the heat-affected regions of welded coupons receiving Oxone and hypochlorite pretreatments. Few bacteria were observed in the same regions of the ozone pretreatment sample.

Huff, Timothy L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Compatibility Testing of Non-Metallic Materials for the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) of International Space Station (ISS)

In the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts will convert urine into potable water with the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). The urine is distilled, with the concentrated form containing about 15% brine solids, and the dilute form as a blend of pre-treated urine/wastewater. Eighteen candidate non-metallic materials for use with the UPA were tested in 2000 for compatibility with the concentrated and dilute urine solutions for continuous times of at least 30 days, and at conditions of 0.5 psia pressure and 100 F, to simulate the working UPA environment. A primary screening test for each material (virgin and conditioned) was dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in the stress relaxation mode, with the test data used to predict material performance for a 10-year use in space. Data showed that most of the candidate materials passed the compatibility testing, although a few significant changes in stress relaxation modulus were observed.

Wingard, Charles Doug↗
NASA NTRS2003

Compatibility Testing of Polymeric Materials for the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) of International Space Station (ISS)

In the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts will convert urine into potable water with the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) by a distillation process. The urine is pre-treated, containing flush water and stabilizers. About 2.5% solids in the urine are concentrated up to 16% brine through distillation. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in the stress relaxation mode was primarily used to test 15 polymeric UPA materials for compatibility with the pre-treated and brine solutions. There were concerns that chromium trioxide (CrO3), a stabilizer not in the original pre-treat formulation for similar compatibility testing in 2000, could have an adverse effect on these polymers. DMA testing is partially complete for polymeric material samples immersed in the two solutions at room temperature for as long as 200 days. By comparing each material (conditioned and virgin), the stress relaxation modulus (E) was determined for short-term use and predicted for as long as a 10-year use in space. Such a delta E showed a decrease of as much as 79% for a Nylon material, but an increase as much as 454% for a polysulfone material, with increasing immersion time.

Wingard, Charles D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Development of an Advanced Recycle Filter Tank Assembly for the ISS Urine Processor Assembly

Recovering water from urine is a process that is critical to supporting larger crews for extended missions aboard the International Space Station. Urine is collected, preserved, and stored for processing into water and a concentrated brine solution that is highly toxic and must be contained to avoid exposure to the crew. The brine solution is collected in an accumulator tank, called a Recycle Filter Tank Assembly (RFTA) that must be replaced monthly and disposed in order to continue urine processing operations. In order to reduce resupply requirements, a new accumulator tank is being developed that can be emptied on orbit into existing ISS waste tanks. The new tank, called the Advanced Recycle Filter Tank Assembly (ARFTA) is a metal bellows tank that is designed to collect concentrated brine solution and empty by applying pressure to the bellows. This paper discusses the requirements and design of the ARFTA as well as integration into the urine processor assembly.

Link, Dwight E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Comparison of Four Strong Acids on the Precipitation Potential of Gypsum in Brines During Distillation of Pretreated, Augmented Urine

Two batches of nominally pretreated and augmented urine were prepared with the baseline pretreatment formulation of sulfuric acid and chromium trioxide. The urine was augmented with inorganic salts and organic compounds in order to simulate a urinary ionic concentrations representing the upper 95 percentile on orbit. Three strong mineral acids: phosphoric, hydrochloric, and nitric acid, were substituted for the sulfuric acid for comparison to the baseline sulfuric acid pretreatment formulation. Three concentrations of oxidizer in the pretreatment formulation were also tested. Pretreated urine was distilled to 85% water recovery to determine the effect of each acid and its conjugate base on the precipitation of minerals during distillation. The brines were analyzed for calcium and sulfate ion, total, volatile, and fixed suspended solids. Test results verified that substitution of phosphoric, hydrochloric, or nitric acids for sulfuric acid would prevent the precipitation of gypsum up to 85% recovery from pretreated urine representing the upper 95 percentile calcium concentration on orbit.

Muirhead, Dean↗
NASA NTRS2014

Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Intranasal Scopolamine in Plasma Saliva and Urine

An intranasal gel formulation of scopolamine (INSCOP) was developed for the treatment of Space Motion Sickness. The bioavailability and pharmacokinetics (PK) were evaluated under the Food and Drug Administration guidelines for clinical trials for an Investigative New Drug (IND). The aim of this project was to develop a PK model that can predict the relationship between plasma, saliva and urinary scopolamine concentrations using data collected from the IND clinical trial with INSCOP. METHODS: Twelve healthy human subjects were administered three dose levels (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg) of INSCOP. Serial blood, saliva and urine samples were collected between 5 min to 24 h after dosing and scopolamine concentrations measured by using a validated LC-MS-MS assay. Pharmacokinetic Compartmental models, using actual dosing and sampling times, were built using Phoenix (version 1.2). Model discrimination was performed, by minimizing the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC), maximizing the coefficient of determination (r²) and by comparison of the quality of fit plots. RESULTS: The best structural model to describe scopolamine disposition after INSCOP administration (minimal AIC =907.2) consisted of one compartment for plasma, saliva and urine respectively that were inter-connected with different rate constants. The estimated values of PK parameters were compiled in Table 1. The model fitting exercises revealed a nonlinear PK for scopolamine between plasma and saliva compartments for K21, Vmax and Km. CONCLUSION: PK model for INSCOP was developed and for the first time it satisfactorily predicted the PK of scopolamine in plasma, saliva and urine after INSCOP administration. Using non-linear PK yielded the best structural model to describe scopolamine disposition between plasma and saliva compartments, and inclusion of non-linear PK resulted in a significant improved model fitting. The model can be utilized to predict scopolamine plasma concentration using saliva and/or urine data that allows non-invasive assessment of pharmacotherapeutics of scopolamine in space and other remote environments without requiring blood sampling.

Wu, L.↗
NASA NTRS2016

A Simple and Sensitive LC-MS/MS Method for the Determination of Free 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine in Human Urine

Urinary free 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG), an oxidized product of DNA, and is frequently chosen as a biomarker of oxidative stress in humans, including studies of oxidative DNA damage during space flight. It is challenging to accurately and efficiently quantify urinary free 8OHdG in large scale human studies. LC-MS/MS is emerging as a preferable analytical technique owing its high sensitivity, selectivity and efficiency, compared to some traditional methods such as ELISA and HPLC. A simple and sensitive LC-MS/MS method has been developed for the determination of free 8OHdG in human urine. Sample preparation was done by solid phase extraction with a Waters Oasis HLB 96 well plate. A Waters Alliance 2795 HT Separation Module combined with a Quattro Micro tandem mass spectrometer was used as the LC-MS/MS system. The runtime of one injection can be less than 5 minutes using a reversed phase C18 column and an isocratic flow of methanol/water. ESI positive ions were quantified in the multiple reaction modes (MRM) using m/z 284 yields 168 for 8OHdG and m/z 289 yields173 for stable isotope labeled internal standard [(15)N5] 8OHdG. With this method for 8OHdG, a lower limit of quantitation of 1.0 nM (0.28 ng/mL) has been achieved using 100 microliter urine sample. The analytical range is between 1.0 and 100 nM with a correlation coefficient greater than or equal to 0.99. Good reproducibility can be obtained with intra-assay and inter-assay CVs less than or equal to 10% for 8OHdG spiked urine QC samples. This method can be used in high-throughput routine analysis of free 8OHdG in human urine.

Wang, Zuwei↗
NASA NTRS2018

Sensitivity Analysis of the Change of Renal Stone Occurrence Rates in Astronauts Using Urine Chemistries

Changes in urine chemistry, during and post-flight, potentially alter the likelihood of renal stones in astronauts. Although much is known about the effects of space flight on urine chemistry, no inflight incidences of renal stones in US astronauts exist and the question How much does this risk change with space flight? remains difficult to accurately quantify. Previous work by our group has illustrated the application of multi-factor deterministic and probabilistic modeling to assess the change in predicted likelihood of renal stone. Utilizing 1517 astronaut urine chemistries to inform the renal stone occurrence rate forecasting model, we performed a sensitivity analysis on urine chemistry components for their influence on predictions of renal stone size and rate of renal stone occurrence.

physiological response↗
NASA NTRS1972

Zero-gravity open-type urine receptacle

The development of the zero-gravity open-type urine receptacle used in the Apollo command module is described. This type receptacle eliminates the need for a cuff-type urine collector or for the penis to circumferentially contact the receptacle in order to urinate. This device may be used in a gravity environment, varying from zero gravity to earth gravity, such as may be experienced in a space station or space base.

Girala, A. S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Electrolytic pretreatment of urine

Electrolysis has been under evaluation for several years as a process to pretreat urine for ultimate recovery of potable water in manned spacecraft applications. The conclusions that were drawn from this investigation are the following: (1) A platinum alloy containing 10 percent rhodium has been shown to be an effective, corrosion-resistant anode material for the electrolytic pretreatment of urine. Black platinum has been found to be suitable as a cathode material. (2) The mechanism of the reactions occurring during the electrolysis of urine is two-stage: (a) a total Kjeldahl nitrogen and total organic carbon (TOC) removal in the first stage is the result of electrochemical oxidation of urea to CO2, H2O, and ammonia followed by chloride interaction to produce N2 from ammonia, (b) after the urea has been essentially removed and the chloride ions have no more ammonia to interact with, the chloride ions start to oxidize to higher valence states, thus producing perchlorates. (3) Formation of perchlorates can be suppressed by high/low current operation, elevated temperature, and pH adjustment. (4) UV-radiation showed promise in assisting electrolytic TOC removal in beaker tests, but was not substantiated in limited single cell testing. This may have been due to non-optimum configurations of the single cell test rig and the light source.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1980

Water recovery by catalytic treatment of urine vapor

The objective of this investigation was to demonstrate the feasibility of water recovery on a man-rated scale by the catalytic processing of untreated urine vapor. For this purpose, two catalytic systems, one capable of processing an air stream containing low urine vapor concentrations and another to process streams with high urine vapor concentrations, were designed, constructed, and tested to establish the quality of the recovered water.

Budininkas, P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Development Status of the International Space Station Urine Processor Assembly

NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is developing a Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) for the International Space Station (ISS). The UPA uses Vapor Compression Distillation (VCD) technology to reclaim water from pre-treated urine. This water is further processed by the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) to potable quality standards for use on the ISS. NASA has developed this technology over the last 25-30 years. Over this history, many technical issues were solved with thousands of hours of ground testing that demonstrate the ability of the UPA technology to reclaim water from urine. In recent years, NASA MSFC has been responsible for taking the UPA technology to "flight design" maturity. This paper will give a brief overview of the UPA design and a status of the major design and development efforts completed recently to mature the UPA to a flight level.

Holder, Donald W.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Development of Urine Receptacle Assembly for the Crew Exploration Vehicle

The Urine Receptacle Assembly (URA) initially was developed for Apollo as a primary means of urine collection. The aluminum housing with stainless steel honeycomb insert provided all male crewmembers with a non-invasive means of micturating into a urine capturing device and then venting to space. The performance of the URA was a substantial improvement over previous devices but its performance was not well understood. The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program is exploring the URA as a contingency liquid waste management system for the vehicle. URA improvements are required to meet CEV requirements, including: consumables minimization, flow performance, acceptable hygiene standards, crew comfort, and female crewmember capability. This paper presents the results of a historical review of URA performance during the Apollo program, recent URA performance tests on the reduced gravity aircraft flight under varying flow conditions, and a proposed development plan for the URA to meet CEV needs.

Cibuzar, Branelle Rae↗
NASA NTRS2011

Evaluation of Technologies to Prevent Precipitation During Water Recovery from Urine

The International Space Station (ISS) Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) experienced a hardware failure in the Distillation Assembly (DA) in October 2010. Initially the UPA was operated to recover 85% of the water from urine through distillation, concentrating the contaminants in the remaining urine. The DA failed due to precipitation of calcium sulfate (gypsum) which caused a loss of UPA function. The ISS UPA operations have been modified to only recover 70% of the water minimizing gypsum precipitation risk but substantially increasing water resupply needs. This paper describes the feasibility assessment of several technologies (ion exchange, chelating agents, threshold inhibitors, and Lorentz devices) to prevent gypsum precipitation. The feasibility assessment includes the development of assessment methods, chemical modeling, bench top testing, and validation testing in a flight-like ground UPA unit. Ion exchange technology has been successfully demonstrated and has been recommended for further development. The incorporation of the selected technology will enable water recovery to be increased from 70% back to the original 85% and improve the ISS water balance.

Broyan, James L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Temporary Urine and Brine Stowage System (TUBSS) Development

International Space Station (ISS) crew liquid human waste is treated with chromic and sulfuric acids to maintain stability prior to processing to recover water. This pre-treated urine (PTU) and its processed by-product, brine, are highly toxic fluids that require special containment for on-orbit stowage. The temporary urine and brine stowage syste m (TUBSS) is an assembly used to store and transfer pre-treated urine (PTU) and brine for processing or disposal at a later date. This paper describes the development of the TUBSS, including design for two-fault tolerance and materials selection to maintain a soft, collapsible container. In addition, this paper will provide results of testing as well as lessons learned from the project, culminating in the successful launch of the hardware.

Dries, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS2011

Ion Exchange Technology Development in Support of the Urine Processor Assembly Precipitation Prevention Project for the International Space Station

In support of the Urine Processor Assembly Precipitation Prevention Project (UPA PPP), multiple technologies were explored to prevent CaSO4 dot 2H2O (gypsum) precipitation during the on-orbit distillation process. Gypsum precipitation currently limits the water recovery rate onboard the International Space Station (ISS) to 70% versus the planned 85% target water recovery rate. Due to its advanced performance in removing calcium cations in pretreated augmented urine (PTAU), ion exchange was selected as one of the technologies for further development by the PPP team. A total of 12 ion exchange resins were evaluated in various equilibrium and dynamic column tests with solutions of dissolved gypsum, urine ersatz, PTAU, and PTAU brine at 85% water recovery. While initial evaluations indicated that the Purolite SST60 resin had the highest calcium capacity in PTAU (0.30 meq/mL average), later tests showed that the Dowex G26 and Amberlite FPC12H resins had the highest capacity (0.5 meq/mL average). Further dynamic column testing proved that G26 performance is +/- 10% of that value at flow rates of 0.45 and 0.79 Lph under continuous flow, and 10.45 Lph under pulsed flow. Testing at the Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) integrates the ion exchange technology with a UPA ground article under flight-like pulsed flow conditions with PTAU. To date, no gypsum precipitation has taken place in any of the initial evaluations.

Mitchell, Julie L.↗