NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Membrane-Based Water Evaporator for a Space SuitA membrane-based water evaporator has been developed that is intended to serve as a heat-rejection device for a space suit. This evaporator would replace the current sublimator that is sensitive to contamination of its feedwater. The design of the membrane-based evaporator takes advantage of recent advances in hydrophobic micropore membranes to provide robust heat rejection with much less sensitivity to contamination. The low contamination sensitivity allows use of the heat transport loop as feedwater, eliminating the need for the separate feedwater system used for the sublimator. A cross section of the evaporator is shown in the accompanying figure. The space-suit cooling loop water flows into a distribution plenum, through a narrow annulus lined on both sides with a hydrophobic membrane, into an exit plenum, and returns to the space suit. Two perforated metal tubes encase the membranes and provide structural strength. Evaporation at the membrane inner surface dissipates the waste heat from the space suit. The water vapor passes through the membrane, into a steam duct and is vented to the vacuum environment through a back-pressure valve. The back-pressure setting can be adjusted to regulate the heat-rejection rate and the water outlet temperature.
Document ID
20110016827
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Other - NASA Tech Brief
Authors
Ungar, Eugene K.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
McCann, Charles J.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
O'Connell, Mary K.
(Lockheed Electronics Co. Houston, TX, United States)
Andrea, Scott
(Lockheed Electronics Co. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: NASA Tech Briefs, June 2004
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Report/Patent Number
MSC-23317
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available