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Oil Recovery System
A Downhole Steam Generation System brings oil up from deep reservoirs. The system, developed by Foster-Miller Associates consists of a steam generator, a "packer" that keeps the steam from leaking up the wellbore, and tube string that supplies air, fuel, water and hydraulics to the generator and packer; all are encased in a standard seven-inch well casing. Downhole means that the steam generator is located far down the well casing rather than on the surface. This design is more efficient than surface generated steam. A COSMIC (Computer Software Management and Information Center) program aided in the design.
A Low Cost, Self-Acting, Liquid Hydrogen Boil-Off Recovery System
PROJECT SUMMARY. 1 PROJECT OBJECTIVES. Detail Design. Final Analysis. Hardware Procurement. Component Tests. System Tests..Prototype Tests. 2. WORK PERFORMED. Detail Design. Final Analysis. Hardware Procurement. Component Tests. System Tests. Prototype Tests. 3. Results obtained. Detail Design. Final Analysis. Hardware Procurement. Component Tests. System Tests. Prototype Tests. 5. TECHNICAL MERIT AND FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT. 6. APPENDIX A: SIZE DETAIL DRAWINGS. 7. APPENDIX B: CONSULTANTS SENSITIVITY STUDY. 8. APPENDIX C: CONSULTANTS REPORT. ROTORDYNAMIC ANALYSIS 9. SF298 REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE.
Monolithic transistor gate energy recovery system
Energy is recovered from an insulated gate semiconductor switch, such as a MOSFET, that is otherwise lost in the gate capacitance by producing a notch in the gate control voltage for an interval B following an interval A after initial application of a gate control voltage pulse for turning the switch on, and a notch for an interval C following termination of the gate control voltage pulse followed by interval D during which the switch is turned on again, where each interval is a period .DELTA.T given by ##EQU1## L.sub.s is the inductance (discrete and/or parasitic) in series with the gate electrode of the insulated gate semiconductor switch, and C.sub.in is the capacitance of that switch between its gate and source electrodes. The interval .DELTA.T may be provided directly by timing in a pulse forming circuit for the gate control voltage applied, or adaptively by sensing the gate voltage v.sub.g and comparing it with fixed progressively higher voltages v.sub.1, v.sub.2 and v.sub.3, where v.sub.2 is intermediate v.sub.1 and v.sub.3 which correspond to the lower and upper levels of v.sub.g as the switch is turned off and on.
Detailed Modeling of Distillation Technologies for Closed-Loop Water Recovery Systems
Detailed chemical process simulations are a useful tool in designing and optimizing complex systems and architectures for human life support. Dynamic and steady-state models of these systems help contrast the interactions of various operating parameters and hardware designs, which become extremely useful in trade-study analyses. NASA?s Exploration Life Support technology development project recently made use of such models to compliment a series of tests on different waste water distillation systems. This paper presents efforts to develop chemical process simulations for three technologies: the Cascade Distillation System (CDS), the Vapor Compression Distillation (VCD) system and the Wiped-Film Rotating Disk (WFRD) using the Aspen Custom Modeler and Aspen Plus process simulation tools. The paper discusses system design, modeling details, and modeling results for each technology and presents some comparisons between the model results and recent test data. Following these initial comparisons, some general conclusions and forward work are discussed.
A Terminal Descent Sensor Trade Study Overview for the Orion Landing and Recovery System
This trade study was conducted as a part of the Orion Landing System Advanced Development Project to determine possible Terminal Descent Sensor (TDS) architectures that could be used for a rocket assisted landing system. Several technologies were considered for the Orion TDS including radar, lidar, GPS applications, mechanical sensors, and gamma ray altimetry.
Water Recovery Systems Technology Development Overview and Capabilities
No abstract available
Development of Low-Toxicity Urine Stabilization for Spacecraft Water Recovery Systems
Wastewater stabilization is an essential component of the spacecraft water cycle. The purpose of stabilizing wastewater is two-fold. First, stabilization prevents the breakdown of urea into ammonia, a toxic gas at high concentrations. Second, it prevents the growth of microorganisms, thereby mitigating hardware and water quality issues due to due biofilm and planktonic growth. Current stabilization techniques involve oxidizers and strong acids (pH=2) such as chromic and sulfuric acid, which are highly toxic and pose a risk to crew health. The purpose of this effort is to explore less toxic stabilization techniques, such as food-grade and commercial care preservatives. Additionally, certain preservatives were tested in the presence of a low-toxicity organic acid. Triplicate 300-mL volumes of urine were dosed with a predetermined quantity of stabilizer and stored for two weeks. During that time, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia, and turbidity were monitored. Those preservatives that showed the lowest visible microbial growth and stable pH were further tested in a six-month stability study. The results of the six-month study are also included in this paper.
Development of Low-Toxicity Wastewater Stabilization for Spacecraft Water Recovery Systems
Wastewater stabilization was an essential component of the spacecraft water cycle. The purpose of stabilizing wastewater was two-fold. First, stabilization prevents the breakdown of urea into ammonia, a toxic gas at high concentrations. Second, it prevents the growth of microorganisms, thereby mitigating hardware and water quality issues due to due biofilm and planktonic growth. Current stabilization techniques involve oxidizers and strong acids (pH=2) such as chromic and sulfuric acid, which are highly toxic and pose a risk to crew health. The purpose of this effort was to explore less toxic stabilization techniques, such as food-grade and commercial care preservatives. Additionally, certain preservatives were tested in the presence of a low-toxicity organic acid. Triplicate 300-mL volumes of urine were dosed with a predetermined quantity of stabilizer and stored for two weeks. During that time, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia, and turbidity were monitored. Those preservatives that showed the lowest visible microbial growth and stable pH were further tested in a six-month stability study. The results of the six-month study are also included in this paper.
Movable Ground Based Recovery System for Reuseable Space Flight Hardware
A reusable space flight launch system is configured to eliminate complex descent and landing systems from the space flight hardware and move them to maneuverable ground based systems. Precision landing of the reusable space flight hardware is enabled using a simple, light weight aerodynamic device on board the flight hardware such as a parachute, and one or more translating ground based vehicles such as a hovercraft that include active speed, orientation and directional control. The ground based vehicle maneuvers itself into position beneath the descending flight hardware, matching its speed and direction and captures the flight hardware. The ground based vehicle will contain propulsion, command and GN&C functionality as well as space flight hardware landing cushioning and retaining hardware. The ground based vehicle propulsion system enables longitudinal and transverse maneuverability independent of its physical heading.
Development of Low-Toxicity Wastewater Stabilization for Spacecraft Water Recovery Systems
Wastewater stabilization was an essential component of the spacecraft water cycle. The purpose of stabilizing wastewater was two-fold. First, stabilization prevents the breakdown of urea into ammonia, a toxic gas at high concentrations. Second, it prevents the growth of microorganisms, thereby mitigating hardware and water quality issues due to due biofilm and planktonic growth. Current stabilization techniques involve oxidizers and strong acids (pH=2) such as chromic and sulfuric acid, which are highly toxic and pose a risk to crew health. The purpose of this effort was to explore less toxic stabilization techniques, such as food-grade and commercial care preservatives. Additionally, certain preservatives were tested in the presence of a low-toxicity organic acid. Triplicate 300-milliliter volumes of urine were dosed with a predetermined quantity of stabilizer and stored for two weeks. During that time, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia, and turbidity were monitored. Those preservatives that showed the lowest visible microbial growth and stable pH were further tested in a six-month stability study. The results of the six-month study are also included in this paper.
Hydrogen Purification and Recycling for an Integrated Oxygen Recovery System Architecture
No abstract available
An Innovative Very Low Thermal Power Waste Heat Recovery System for Thermal Control of Deep Space Missions: A Thermal Flask in Space
Future missions to deep space, such as those to the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, etc.), which would rely on solar photovoltaic power, would need extremely large solar arrays to produce sufficient power for their operations because solar intensity is so low at those locations. Hence any additional power that would be needed for thermal control is extremely limited. Previous deep space missions like Juno (to Jupiter) required almost 200 W of electrical power for thermal control. This is prohibitively large for many future mission concepts, and leads to them needing very large solar arrays. For Saturn, where the solar flux is 1/4th the flux at Jupiter, this would entail an extremely large increase in the solar array size to accommodate the need for thermal survival power, which would be prohibitively large in size and mass, and very expensive. Hence there is a need to come up with a thermal architecture and design options that would not need such prohibitively large thermal power levels. One solution relies on harvesting the pre-existing waste heat from all the heat dissipation that would be present from operation of electronics, instruments, etc. for their own functionality. For example, for a generic Saturn mission, the various electronics would already dissipate about 200 Watts of heat that is simply "thrown away" to space from the spacecraft surfaces. The amount of thermal power that would be required for the safe thermal control of components within the spacecraft in deep space would be roughly of this magnitude for this class of spacecraft. So it makes good sense to try to harvest the waste heat and employ it to maintain the temperatures of all the components within their allowable limits. In particular, propulsion systems typically need to be kept above their freezing limits, around room temperature (15 C). Electronics needs to be kept typically above -40 C and batteries above -20 C. The next question becomes how to harvest this waste heat and direct it to the components that would need it for their survival. The proposed system utilizes a mechanically pumped, single phase fluid loop to pick up the waste heat from components attached to this loop's tubing and then directed to a thermal flask that has tubing attached to it. The thermal flask is cylindrically shaped and contains essentially all systems and components in the spacecraft within it, with the exception of the solar array, antennae, thrusters and various apertures of instruments, etc. to allow them an unobstructed view of space. Waste heat from the heat-dissipating components warms up the fluid and is carried to the flask surface and deposited on it via the fluid loop's flow. The entire flask is covered with Multi-Layered Insulation (MLI) to minimize the heat loss from the flask and allow it to remain warm. Hence the flask essentially creates a thermal environment within which the spacecraft components reside. The temperature of the components within the flask is then essentially the same as the temperature of the flask. This approach could be a very enabling feature for deep space missions. This paper describes the approach utilized for this thermal architecture, along with its mechanical and implementation aspects. Additionally it will compare and contrast this approach with the more conventional solutions utilized earlier.
An Innovative Very Low Thermal Power Waste Heat Recovery System for Thermal Control of Deep Space Missions: A Thermal Flask in Space
No abstract available
Design Solutions for the Treatment of DMSD in the ISS Water Recovery System
Dimethylsilanediol (DMSD) has been identified as a problematic organic on ISS. This contaminant was initially identified in the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) product water in 2010 by the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA). DMSD is not a crew health hazard at the levels observed in the product water, but it may degrade the performance of the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) which uses the WPA product water for electrolysis and does impact the effective operation of the WPA catalytic reactor. To mitigate these impacts, early replacement of the Multifiltration Beds in the WPA is required. An investigation has determined that the decomposition of atmospheric polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMSs) is the primary source of DMSD in the condensate. PDMSs are prevalent on ISS from a variety of sources, including crew hygiene products, adhesives, caulks, lubricants, and various nonmetallics. These PDMSs also contribute to degradation of the CHX hydrophilic coating, rendering it hydrophobic and therefore affecting its ability to transmit water to the condensate bus. In addition, literature research has determined that PDMSs are likely oxidized to DMSD in the atmosphere when exposed to hydroxyl radicals in the ISS atmosphere. To address these mechanisms, filters have been developed for removal of PDMSs from the ISS atmosphere. However, ongoing analysis indicates a significant reduction in atmospheric PDMSs is required to achieve a measurable reduction of DMSD in the condensate. As a result, additional measures are being pursued to mitigate this issue. First, credible sources are being investigated to quantity to the extent possible the significant sources of PDMSs and identify sources that can be reasonably removed from ISS. Second, a Reverse Osmosis technology is being investigated as an alternate means for removing DMSD from the condensate. This paper summarizes the current status of the overall effort to mitigate DMSD in the US condensate.
Challenges with Operating a Water Recovery System (WRS) in the Microgravity Environment of the International Space Station (ISS)
No abstract available
Challenges with Operating a Water Recovery System (WRS) in the Microgravity Environment of the International Space Station (ISS)
The ISS WRS produces potable water from crew urine, crew latent, and Sabatier product water. This system has been operational on ISS since November 2008, producing over 30,000 L of water during that time. The WRS includes a Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) to produce a distillate from the crew urine. This distillate is combined with the crew latent and Sabatier product water and further processed by the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) to the potable water. The UPA and WPA use technologies commonly used on ISS for water purification, including filtration, distillation, adsorption, ion exchange, and catalytic oxidation. The primary challenge with the design and operation of the WRS has been with implementing these technologies in microgravity. The absence of gravity has created unique issues that impact the constituency of the waste streams, alter two-phase fluid dynamics, and increases the impact of particulates on system performance. NASA personnel continue to pursue upgrades to the existing design to improve reliability while also addressing their viability for missions beyond ISS.