Development of a water recovery subsystem based on Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal (VPCAR)An integrated engineering breadboard subsystem for the recovery of potable water from untreated urine was designed, fabricated and tested. It was fabricated from commercially available components without emphasis on weight, volume and power requirement optimization. Optimizing these parameters would make this process competitive with other spacecraft water recovery systems. Unlike other phase change systems, this process is based on the catalytic oxidation at elevated temperatures of ammonia and volatile hydrocarbons to innocuous products; therefore, no urine pretreatment is required. The testing program consisted of parametric tests, one month of daily tests, and a continuous run of 165 hours. The recovered water is low in ammonia, hydrocarbons and conductivity and requires only adjustment of its pH to meet drinking water standards.
Document ID
19870051490
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Budininkas, P. (Chamberlain Mfg. Corp. Waterloo, IA, United States)
Rasouli, F. (Chamberlain Manufacturing, Inc. GARD Div., Niles, IL, United States)
Wydeven, T. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)