Electrochemically regenerable carbon dioxide/moisture control technology for an Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Regenerable CO2/moisture removal techniques that reduce the expendables and logistics requirements are needed to sustain people undertaking EVAs for the Space Station. Here, the development of electrochemically regenerable CO2 absorption (ERCA) technology to replace the nonregenerable LiOH absorber for the advanced Portable Life Support System (PLSS) is reported. During EVA the ERCA uses a mechanism involving gas absorption into a liquid absorbent for the removal and storage of the metabolically produced CO2 and moisture. Following the EVA, the expended absorbent is regenerated onboard the Space Station by an electrochemical CO2 concentrator. The ERCA concept has the ability to effectively satisfy the high metabolic CO2 and moisture removal requirements of PLSS applications. This paper defines the ERCA concept and its advantages for the PLSS application, reviews breadboard test data, and presents physical characteristics of the breadboard and projected flight hardware.