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Active TRL 8 (started at 4, targeting 9)
The Brine Processor Assembly (BPA) is an International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) technology designed to significantly increase spacecraft water‑loop closure by extracting additional water from urine brine generated by the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). BPA is installed in Node 3 to demonstrate water recovery from UPA brine using a forced‑convection, membrane‑distillation approach that leverages cabin air as the driving mechanism for pervaporation.
BPA uses Paragon’s Intrinsically Wicking Plastic (IWP) dual‑layer membrane bladder technology where the microporous inner bladder retains liquids and solids while permitting water vapor to migrate into an ionomer vapor‑permeable outer bladder. These lightweight, disposable bladders (0.5 kg each) maintain full contamination containment for the duration of processing and disposal.
Long‑duration on‑orbit operations show BPA has recovered water for over three years on ISS through a combination of membrane distillation and cabin‑air vapor transport, producing humidity condensate for downstream reclamation.
Project Objectives
• Demonstrate reliable water recovery achieving recovery rates above 80% from on‑orbit brine
• Advance membrane distillation technology through multi‑cycle characterization of pore wetting, temperature behavior, humidity‑driven recovery rates, and consumable life.
• Evaluate upgraded hardware concepts, including detrusor redesign, fan‑end‑of‑life monitoring, heater redundancy, and quick‑disconnect (QD) mate reliability
• Develop low‑mass consumables aligned with exploration architecture mass goals.
• Optimize fault detection and recovery through improved sensor integration, data‑handling processes, and autonomous health monitoring.
• Higher Water Loop Closure: BPA advances ISS water recovery toward exploration‑class targets (up to 98% recovery demonstrated in ground testbeds)
• Reduced Logistics Mass: By extracting additional water from brine, BPA lowers water resupply and improves sustainability for long‑duration missions.
• Consumable Efficiency: Lightweight, disposable membrane bladders reduce mass fractions and support rapid turn‑around without complex refurbishment
• Improved Crew Habitability & Safety: Odor‑and‑hazard containment features, such as the odor‑containment bag design, improve handling of toxic (Tox‑2) brine.
• Exploration Readiness: BPA operational data feed directly into future lunar and Mars water‑recovery system architectures, informing subsystem design margins, fan lifetime requirements, pretreat interactions, and bladder durability.
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