Search Results

The technology available for the production of high purity water in a microgravity environment is applied to a water reclamation and purification system for the Laboratory Module of Space Station Freedom. The system is required to remove a wide range of contaminants from water, and therefore a staged system, which uses a number of purification techniques in series, is necessary. The Ultrapure Water System (UPWS) design has been in development for over four years. Initial system concepts relied heavily on distillation, followed by ion exchange and adsorption. Recent efforts have focused on addressing the limitations of a distillation-based system. Substituting a combination of chemical oxidation and continuous deionization for the distillation step appears to be viable. A development test program has been formulated which would prove system feasibility, refine the design concept, and provide data for system simulation.

The ejector-compression refrigeration system, a heat powered system which can be operated as a heat pump, is described. The operation of the system is discussed in general and the ejector itself is described in more detail. The central thrust of the paper is the application of the system to comfort air conditioning of automobiles. The advantages, limitations, and recommendations for future research and development are given. Several analyses of the theoretical cycle are made and equations describing the operation of the ejector are derived. A brief bibliography is listed.