Continuous removal of carbon dioxide is one of the most critical processes in a spacecraft air revitalization system.Recovery of the waste carbon dioxide and its subsequent conversion to oxygen become essential for long-duration human space missions beyond Low-Earth orbit where re-supply of consumables such as oxygen is neither practical nor economical.The current CO_2 removal technology employed in the United States Operating Segment (USOS) of the International Space Station (ISS) operates in an open loop mode where the waste CO_2 is vented to space.A compressor is required to facilitate CO_2 recovery capabilities.The CO_2 removal process itself is one of the most energy-intensive processes in the life support system of the ISS due to the water vapor recovery method involved in the process.This paper discusses the design and development of a low-power CO_2 removal system that has capabilities to recover and compress the CO_2 for recycling oxygen.The system utilizes processors with no rapidly moving parts to improve the factors such as life,safety and reliability.Significant power savings is possible by incorporating a membrane dryer for water vapor recovery.Additional savings in power is achieved by thermally integrating the CO_2 removal and compression systems.
展开▼
