Bead Evaporator for Complete Water and Salt Recovery from Brine

A microgravity-compatible Brine Evaporation and Mineralization System (BEMS) is proposed for 100% water recovery from highly contaminated wastewater as well as water generated from entrained organic contaminant oxidation without concern for precipitation of organic and inorganic solids. The BEMS utilizes fully regenerable evaporation media, a catalytic oxidizer, and heat exchange technologies, which reduce Equivalent System Mass (ESM) for water recovery by eliminating the nominal brine byproduct, dramatically lowering consumables and reducing long-term waste storage requirements. The BEMS process will exceed the goal of 95% water recovery by 2017-2022 set forth by NASA in the space technology roadmap. Highly contaminated wastewater streams such as urine, hygiene water, and RO brines are major wastewater streams for the BEMS. The Phase I project will focus on development of the evaporation bed capacity and catalytic oxidizer efficiency. The Phase II will incorporate thermal efficiency and introduce catalytic capability into the evaporation bed to improve efficiency and result in delivery of a prototype system. These efforts will be the foundation for the design and construction of a flight ready prototype for use on the International Space Station.

The NASA application for this technology will be as Flight Hardware for deployment in support of future, long duration exploration objectives beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) where efficient, reliable, and low-maintenance water reclamation systems will play a critical role in reducing ECLSS logistics. The Brine Evaporation and Mineralization System (BEMS) technology provides a simple, microgravity compatible method to recover water from highly contaminated wastewater and brines without concern for organic and inorganic solids. The use of regenerable evaporation media, catalytic oxidation, and heat exchange technology will lower the ESM for this technology compared to conventional air evaporation technologies. Such a water recovery system will be purchased as Flight Hardware by NASA, or by an aerospace contracting firm on behalf of NASA, resulting in enhanced capability in support of manned missions beyond LEO, where minimization of expendables, reliability, and simple operation are highly valued.

This specialized, innovative technology cannot compete effectively against large-scale distillation or reverse osmosis based desalination processes; however, the BEMS technology is ideal for smaller scale or specialty applications due to its simplicity, small size, and ability to rapidly produce pure water and dried inorganic salts. These applications include routine or emergency water production and the reduction of wastewater disposal volumes aboard ships, at industrial sites, or where nuclear wastes require concentration and confinement. Other highly advantageous commercial applications include the recovery of valuable salts from concentrated solutions where relatively low temperature recovery is required and the destruction of volatile components is desired.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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