ISS Potable Water Sampling and Chemical Analysis Results for 2016
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
47th International Conference on Environmental Systems ICES-2017-337 16-20 July 2017, Charleston, South Carolina ISS Potable Water Sampling and Chemical Analysis Results for 2016 John E. Straub II1, Debrah K. Plumlee2, William T. Wallace2, James T. Alverson2, Mickie J. Benoit2, Robert L. Gillispie2, David Hunter2, Mike Kuo2, and Jeffrey A. Rutz2 KBRwyle, Houston, Texas, 77058 Edgar K. Hudson3 and Leslie J. Loh4 JES Tech, Houston, Texas, 77058 and Daniel B. Gazda5 NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 77058 This paper continues the annual tradition, at this conference, of summarizing the results of chemical analyses performed on archival potable water samples returned from the International Space Station (ISS). 2016 represented a banner year for life aboard the ISS, including the successful conclusion for 2 crewmembers of a record 1-year mission. Water reclaimed from urine and/or humidity condensate remained the primary source of potable water for the crewmembers of ISS Expeditions 46-50. The year was also marked by the end of a long-standing tradition of U.S. sampling and monitoring of Russian Segment potable water sources. Two water samples, taken during Expedition 46 and returned on Soyuz 44 in March 2016, represented the final Russian Segment samples to be collected and analyzed by the U.S. side. Although anticipated for 2016, a rise in the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of the product water from the U.S. water processor assembly due to breakthrough of organic contaminants from the system did not materialize, as evidenced by the onboard TOC analyzer and archival sample results. Nomenclature DAI Direct Aqueous Injection DMSD Dimethylsilanediol EPA Environmental Protection Agency GC/MS Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry HX Heat Exchanger IC Ion Chromatography ICP/MS Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry ISS International Space Station JSC Johnson Space Center LC Liquid Chromatography LCV Leuco Crystal Violet 1 Senior Engineer, KBRwyle, Houston, Texas 77058 2 Senior Scientist, KBRwyle, Houston, Texas 77058 3 Senior Scientist, JES Tech, Houston, Texas 77058 4 Scientist, JES Tech, Houston, Texas 77058 5 Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Technical Monitor, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058 MCL Maximum Contaminant Level MMST Monomethylsilanediol MORD Medical Operations Requirements Document N/A Not Applicable NA Not Analyzed NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NTU Nephelometric Turbidity Unit PWD Potable-Water Dispenser RL Reporting Limit RI Refractive Index SRV-K System for Regeneration of Condensate Water SVO-ZV System for Water Storage and Dispensing SWEG Spacecraft Water Exposure Guideline TEC Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry THM Trihalomethanes TOCA Total Organic Carbon Analyzer U.S. United States UV-VIS Ultraviolet-Visible WPA Water Processor Assembly I. Introduction This paper continues the annual and long-standing tradition, at this conference, of summarizing the results of chemical analyses performed on archival potable water samples returned from the International Space Station (ISS). Analytical results for samples collected in 2016 during Expeditions 46-49 (see Table 1) are presented and discussed herein. Analytical data for samples returned during Expeditions 1-45 have been reported previously1-14. The archival-water samples that returned on Soyuz 44-47 vehicles during 2016 were destowed at the landing site in Kazakhstan then turned over to a NASA representative for transportation on a NASA aircraft along with the returning U.S. crews. A representative of the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (TEC) laboratory received all returned samples upon their arrival at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas and delivered them to the JSC laboratory directly for allocation and analysis. Sample allocation was performed in the laboratory based upon returned sample volume. Samples with sufficient volume received full chemical characterization using the standard and custom analytical methods identified in Table 2, while those with insufficient volume required reductions in sensitivity and/or elimination of some analyses. Analytical results for the Russian Segment and U.S. Segment water samples were evaluated for compliance with the potable-water quality requirements found in the ISS Medical Operations Requirement Document (MORD)15 and the System Specification for the ISS document16, respectively. Table 1. Archival Potable Water Samples Returned during Expeditions 46 through 49 Expedition Flight No. Samples Sample Type Sample Collection Date Sample Receipt Received Date 46 Soyuz 44 1 PWD Ambient 1/25/2016 3/3/2016 1 PWD Hot 2/2/2016 1 SRV-K Hot 2/2/2016 1 SVO-ZV 2/2/2016 Total: 4 47 Soyuz 45 1 PWD Ambient 4/4/2016 6/19/2016 1 PWD Hot 5/25/2016 Total: 2 48 Soyuz 46 1 PWD Hot 8/2/2016 9/7/2016 1 PWD Ambient 8/23/2016 Total: 2 49 Soyuz 47 1 PWD Hot 9/19/2016 10/31/2016 1 PWD Ambient 10/18/2016 Total: 2 2 International Conference on Environmental Systems Table 2. Methods for Water Analysis in TEC Laboratory Method Parameter Potentiometric pH and conductivity Gravimetric Total Solids Nephelometric Turbidity Leuco crystal violet (LCV) Iodine and iodide Inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS) Metals/Minerals Inorganic anions & cations, organic acids Ion chromatography (IC) and amines Ultraviolet or heated persulfate oxidation Total organic carbon (TOC) Direct injection gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) Alcohols and glycols GC/MS with a purge and trap concentrator Volatile organics GC/MS after liquid/liquid extraction Semi-volatile organics Liquid chromatography (LC) with UV diode array detector Urea/Caprolactam GC/MS after derivatization and extraction Formaldehyde Silanols (dimethylsilanediol and LC with refractive index detector monomethylsilanetriol) II. Background During 2016 the ISS Expeditions 46-49 crews, including two long-duration crewmembers, relied on recycled water as their primary potable water source. Available onboard water supplies included U.S. Segment potable water recovered from urine distillate and humidity condensate, Russian Segment potable water regenerated from humidity condensate, and Russian ground-supplied potable water. U.S. Potable Water System The U.S. Segment water processor assembly (WPA) produces potable water recovered from a combined wastewater feed consisting of humidity condensate and urine distillate. As shown in Figure 11, inorganic and organic contaminants are removed using a variety of treatment processes. Although iodine residual biocide is added to the WPA product water prior to storage, it is later removed at the U.S. Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) point-of-use prior to crew consumption. The onboard total organic carbon analyzer (TOCA) monitors total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations in WPA product water directly via hose on a weekly basis and indirectly via bag filled from the PWD on a monthly basis. The WPA, TOCA and PWD have been previously described in detail.1-14 Figure 1 - U.S. Segment Water Processor Assembly (WPA)1. 3 International Conference on Environmental Systems Russian Segment Water Systems The Russian Segment of the ISS provides two separate systems for stored and regenerated potable water. The SRV-K regenerated potable water system removes contaminants from humidity condensate using several treatment processes, and adds silver biocide and minerals to the product water prior to storage. Product water is pasteurized for microbial control and available for crew use from either the hot or warm ports of the SRV-K galley. The SVO-ZV stored water system provides the crews with access to ground-supplied potable water delivered on Russian Progress vehicles at ambient temperature. Both the SRV-K and SVO-ZV water systems have been previously described in detail.1-14 III. Discussion of Analytical Results Tabulations of analytical data for ISS return-water samples collected during Expeditions 46 through 49 from the SRV-K (regenerated), SVO-ZV (stored), and WPA water supplies are presented in Appendices 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Each appendix contains the results of chemical analyses performed by the TEC laboratory at JSC along with the corresponding ISS potability limits for comparison. A discussion of these results chronologically by ISS expedition follows. Expedition 46 The Expedition 46 crew collected 4 archival potable-water samples from the PWD ambient, PWD hot, SRV- K hot, and SVO-ZV ports during 2016, as detailed in Table 1. These samples were returned on Soyuz 44 and received in the TEC laboratory at JSC on March 3, 2016 for chemical analysis. Due to limited sample volumes, total solids were not measured on any of the samples and turbidity was not measured on the SVO-ZV sample. The long-standing tradition of U.S. sampling and monitoring of Russian Segment potable water sources came to an end during 2016, as the two water samples taken during Expedition 46 represented the final Russian Segment samples to be collected and returned by the U.S. side for analysis. ISS U.S. Segment PWD Potable-Water Samples For the PWD ambient and hot water samples collected on January 25 and February 2, 2016, all chemical parameters measured therein met the U.S. Segment water quality requirements in the System Specification for the International Space Station, SSP 4100016. Total iodine was not detected (<0.05 mg/L) in either PWD sample, thereby meeting the ISS potability limit at the point of consumption of <0.2 mg/L. The long-term historical trend for total iodine in water produced by the WPA is shown in Figure 2. The measured TOC concentrations were below the method reporting limit (<0.1 mg/L) in PWD ambient and 0.16 mg/L in PWD hot, and well below the ISS potability limit of 3.0 mg/L. As shown in Table 3, the TOC results for Expedition 46 archive samples were consistent with TOC concentrations measured in flight using the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA). The long-term historical TOC trend in water produced by the WPA is shown in Figure 3. Full organic characterization was performed per Table 2 but methyl sulfone was the only individual organic target compound detected in the samples (PWD ambient = 89 μg/L, PWD hot = 127 μg/L).