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As NASA moves into the next phase of Human Exploration, innovative materials and technologies are needed to meet exploration goals. The Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) Upgrades Project is looking for innovative ways to reduce production time of flight demonstration units for testing aboard the International Space Station (ISS). One of the key enablers is alternate material options for the highly corrosive environment within the UPA, specifically the Distillation Assembly (DA).
The goal of this project is to investigate and develop polymer-based materials for metal replacement. The project will concentrate on developing novel high strength, low corrosivity, long-life polymeric materials. This alternate material solution will address MSFC’s need for quicker development of flight hardware that supports on-orbit testing of future Environmental Control Life Support Systems (ECLSS). Techmer PM currently provides polymeric materials for pumps, seals, and other appliances used in a variety of applications within the oil-and-gas industry. This project will enhance the understanding of such materials and their utility in extremely corrosive environments.
Techmer PM presently develops engineering compound formulations used in agricultural and oil-and-gas applications. In both applications, the resin formulations are exposed to a variety of chemicals. In agricultural applications, plastic components are exposed to various pesticide and insecticide chemicals. In oil-and-gas applications, plastic components are exposed to various fuels, solvents, and additives. All these chemicals can be corrosive in nature and reduce the lifetime and properties of the resin formulations. It is expected that this work would lead to novel solutions in these fields leading to future commercial applications for Techmer PM.
Through this Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) investment by NASA and financial contributions by Techmer PM to develop alternate materials for the Urine Processor Assembly, a high strength, low corrosivity, polymer-based metal replacement that can be used in both commercial and government applications will be provided.
The objective of this project is to address needs for technologies supporting environmental control and life support systems by developing polymer-based materials for metal replacement. The project will concentrate on developing novel high strength, low corrosivity, long-life polymeric materials, specifically focused on replacing components within the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) Distillation Assembly (DA).
The UPA Distillation Assembly (DA) developed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and operating onboard the International Space Station (ISS) is the central component of the UPA which distills the pretreated urine using vapor compression distillation to extract the water from the urine. Distillation of the pretreated urine occurs inside the DA where separation of the liquid and vapor phases is achieved via the rotational acceleration of a cylindrical centrifuge as shown in Figure 2. The centrifuge is partitioned into two volumes, evaporator and condenser, which spin inside of a stationary bowl volume. The pretreated urine is introduced onto the inside surface of the evaporator where the centrifugal motion retains a thin fluid film (typically 0.1”) against the inside surface of the condenser/evaporator interface. This fluid film is boiled at reduced pressure and temperature (approximately 32 torr and 85°F) from the heat of condensation released on the opposite side of the condenser/evaporator interface. The recycle flow is greater than the boiling rate so that excess fluid is captured and returned to the recycle loop via a pitot tube on the opposite end of the evaporator volume. Steam produced in the evaporator is compressed to a higher saturation pressure and temperature via a rotary lobe compressor. Typical saturation pressures and temperatures for the compressed steam are 45 torr and 97°F. Because of compressor inefficiency, the steam will be slightly superheated upon exit, potentially as high as 150°F. The superheated steam is subsequently condensed to provide the heat necessary for evaporation while the driving temperature difference between condenser and evaporator (nominally 12°F) is provided by the compression of water vapor from the evaporator.
Because of the properties of the pretreated urine, the DA is primarily made of titanium due to its lack of corrosivity along with its high strength, high thermal conductivity, and overall lower density among metals. This material has high specific gravity and high cost, and prototyping and development of new components is a labor- and time-consuming process. It is expected that this project will assist NASA by providing them with an alternate material of construction for DA components, leading to lower cost, lower weight, and faster development and part replacement time.
Polymer based solutions have a variety of advantages over metals including lower cost, lower weight, and easier fabrication and prototyping. However, property retention and longevity of use in chemical and corrosive environments of such materials is poorly understood. This work will advance this knowledge and allow Techmer PM to further penetrate markets with corrosivity and chemical resistance data.
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