Search Results

This paper offers a concept for a regenerable, low-power system for purifying exhaust from a solid waste processor. The innovations in the concept include the use of a closed-loop regeneration cycle for the adsorber, which prevents contaminants from reaching the breathable air before they are destroyed, and the use of a humidity-swing desorption cycle, which uses less power than a thermal desorption cycle and requires no venting of air and water to space vacuum or planetary atmosphere. The process would also serve well as a trace contaminant control system for the air in the closed environment. A systems-level design is presented that shows how both the exhaust and air purification tasks could be performed by one processor. Data measured with a fixed-bed apparatus demonstrate the effects of the humidity swing on regeneration of the adsorbent.

As a part of the systems modeling research at NASA Ames Research Center, the use of a market-based control strategy to actively manage power for a model of a regenerative life support system (LSS) is examined. Individual subsystem control agents determine power demands and develop bids to ‘buy’ or to ‘sell’ power. A higher level controller collects the bids and power requests from the individual agents, monitors overall power usage, and manages surges or spikes. The higher level controller conducts an ‘auction’ to set a trading price and then allocates power to qualified subsystems. The auction occurs every twelve minutes within the simulated LSS. This market-based power reallocation cannot come at the expense of life support function. Therefore, participation in the auction is restricted to those processes that meet certain tolerance constraints. These tolerances represent acceptable limits within which system processes can be operated.