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Technical Paper

Comparison of Secondary Water Processors Using Distillation for Space Applications

1999-07-12
1999-01-1991
Water recovery is an essential capability for long-term space missions because potable water is a vital resource. Wastewater, especially human urine, contains mineral salts that must be removed if the recycled water is to become potable. This paper addresses secondary water processors using distillation. These processors are elements of a complete water recovery system and are used to recover water from urine and brines. Most of the previous work on distillation processors has been devoted to the processing of urine. The most successful urine processors use rotary vacuum distillation. Vacuum rotary distillation is the process of distillation at reduced pressure in a rotating apparatus. This provides for operation at reduced temperatures and operation in zero-gravity, both of which are desirable for space flight applications.
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