WATER WALLS ARCHITECTURE: MASSIVELY REDUNDANT AND HIGHLY RELIABLE LIFE SUPPORT FOR LONG DURATION EXPLORATION MISSIONS Michael T. Flynn, Principal Investigator, NASA Ames Research Center Co-Investigator Team Dr. Marc M. Cohen, Arch.D, Astrotecture™, Renee L. Matossian, Space Architect, Astrotecture™, Dr. Sherwin Gormly, PhD, Desert Toad LLC, Dr. Rocco Mancinelli, PhD, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute Dr. Jack Miller, PhD, Consultant Jurek Parodi and Elysse Grossi, Universities Space Research Association 1 1. Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 4 2. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Long Duration Life Support ........................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 A New Approach ................................................................................................................. 5 2.1.2 Limitations of the Current Approaches ................................................................................ 5 2.1.3 Key to Success: Incrementally Consuming the System - Not Driving it to Failure................. 6 2.2 Background .................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Water Walls and Spacecraft Arcbitecture..................................................................... 9 3. System-Integration Challenge for the Water Walls Project ....................................... 14 4. Water Walls System Level Functional Flow Architecture ................................................ 14 4.1 System Concept and the Long-Term Goal ..................................................................15 4.2 Functional Flow Architecture and the Short-Term Goal ............................................15 4.3 System Sizing and the Functional Flow Architecture .................................................15 5. 5. The Process Block Level ............................................................................................. 16 5.1 The Climate Control Block 1 ................................................................ 16 5.2 The Contaminant Control Block 2 ........................................................................ 19 5.3 Air Revitalization Process Block 3 .......................................................................... 19 5.4 Power and Waste Process Block 4 ..................................................................... 19 6. Subsystem Level. ...................................................................................................................... 20 6.1 Humidity Control: Latent heat - Dehumidification .......................................................... 20 6.2 Thermal Control - Sensible Heat .......................................................................... 23 6.3 Semi-Volatile Contaminant Control and Removal ................................................. 23 6.4 Volatiles Destruction and Removal ............................................................................ 24 6.1.1 Visible Spectrum Photo-catalyts .................................................................................... 25 6.5 Algae Growth ........................................................................................................................ 25 6.6 Urine and Graywater Processing ................................................................................ 29 6.1.2 The HT! XPack™ ............................................................................................................. 29 6.7 Blackwater and Solids Processing .......................................................................... 32 6.8 Bioelectrochemical System (BES) ...................................................................................... 33 6.9 Radiation Protection .................................................................................................. 36 6.10 Summary Specifications for a Water Walls Application .......................................... 38 6.11 Technology Readiness Levels ........................................................................................... 39 7. Component Level: Membranes, Process Cells, and FO Bags ................................................ 39 7.1 Algae Growth Units as Components in a Life Support System .......................................... 40 7.1.1 Light Reaction and Mass/Area Balance for COz ........................................................... 40 7.1.2 Nitrogen Mass Balance and Other Factors ...................................................................... 43 7.1.3 Carbon Dioxide Sequestration (C02/02) initial (Phase I, NIAC) Testing .......................... 43 7.1.4 Materials and Methods ...................................................................................................... 44 7.1.5 Resulting Mass, Volume, and Reactor Area Analysis ...................................................... 44 7.1.6 Trace Containment Control .............................................................................................. 46 7.1.7 Algae Metabolism Utilization Calculations .................................................................. 46 7.1.8 Solid Waste Digester Gas Emissions Scrubbing (Servicing the Water/Solids Vent Gas Odors and toxics) .......................................................................................................................... 47 7.1.9 Micro-Filtration (MF) Element Fouling and Trapping Rate, the Ultimate Drivers and Values For Algae Reactor Sizing .................................................................................................. 51 7.1.10 Algae-cyanobacteria/Air Revitalization Element Summary ......................................... 52 7.2 Wastewater Processing Bags as Components ............................................................. 53 7.2.1 FO Rejection of Urine Salts ............................................................................................. 56 7.2.2 NH• and Urea Rejection at the Membrane ....................................................................... 56 7.2.3 Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Rejection ........................................................................... 57 7.2.4 Initial GAC Treatment for TOC ....................................................................................... 58 7.2.5 Initial GAC and FO Membrane Treatment for TOC ........................................................ 59 2 7.2.6 Biological Testing .................................................................................................................. 59 7.2.7 Total Mass Per Liter Processing Rate ............................................................................... 59 7.2.8 Concept Development Consideration ............................................................................... 59 7.2.9 Considering Necessary Product TOC Levels ..................................................................... 61 7.2.10 Water Process Theory Summary .................................................................................... 61 7.2.11 Baseline Theoretic on Sizing Constraints Provided by the WW from Water Processing Bag elements.................................................................................................................................. 62 7.3 Solid Waste Processing Units as Components .................................................................... 64 7.3.1 Initial FO Sizing for Post Dewatering Solids/Residuals Processing in Membrane Walls.64 7.3.2 Composted Biosolids for Hydrocarbon Wall Shielding Area and Volume Calculation ...... 65 7.3.3 Converting Biomass to Stable Humus .......................................Errorl Bookmark not defined. 7.3.4 Composted Biosolids for Hydrocarbon Wall Shielding Metabolic Mass Balance Calculation ............................................................................................................................................ 66 7.3.5 Aerobic Digestion ................................................................................................................... 67 7.3.6 Anaerobic Denitrification ...................................................................................................... 69 7.3.7 Experimental Testing to Determine Life Cycle Flux Decline and Related Design Area Expansion ............................................................................................................................................. 70 7.3.8 Water Processing Summary ............................................................................................. 70 7.4 Microbial Fuel Cells as Life Support Components......................................................... 72 7.4.1 Extracellular Electron Transport ...................................................................................... 74 7.4.2 The Biology of MFCs .............................................................................................................. 75 7.4.3 Anode and Cathode Configuration .................................................................................... 76 7.4.4 Membranes and membrane-less systems ........................................................................ 76 7.5 Radiation Protection ..................................................................................................