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REVERSE-OSMOSIS MODULE FOR SPACECRAFT WASHWATER RECYCLE

Award Information

Agency:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 		Branch:
N/A 		Award ID:
660 		Program Year/Program:
1984 / SBIR
Agency Tracking Number:
660 		Solicitation Year:
N/A 		Solicitation Topic Code:
N/A 		Solicitation Number:
N/A
Small Business Information
BEND RESEARCH, INC.
64550 RESEARCH RD BEND, OR 97701
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Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No
 
Phase 2
Fiscal Year: 1984
Title: REVERSE-OSMOSIS MODULE FOR SPACECRAFT WASHWATER RECYCLE
Agency: NASA
Contract: N/A
Award Amount: $283,165.00
 

Abstract:

EXTENDED SPACE MISSIONS REQUIRE EXTENSIVE RECYCLING OF WATERTO PERMIT FREQUENT WASHING AND BATHING OF THE CREW. REVERSEOSMOSIS (RO), OFTEN CALLED HYPERFILTRATION, PROMISES TO BE A UNIQUELY SUITED TECHNOLOGY FOR WATER RECYCLING IN SPACECRAFT. HOWEVER, CURRENT MEMBRANE MODULE DESIGNS HAVE TWO MAJOR SHORTCOMINGS FOR THIS APPLICATION: (1) THEY ARE EASILY FOULED BY BACTERIA AND SUSPENDED MATTER FOUND IN WASHWATER, AND (2) THEY ARE RELATIVELY HEAVY. THIS EFFORT INVESTIGATES A NEW TYPE OF RO MEMBRAME MODULE BASED ON A TUBE-SIDE-FEED HOLLOW-FIBER MEMBRANE CONFIGURATION THAT OVERCOMES BOTH SHORTCOMINGS. POSITIVE FEED FLOW WITHIN THE HOLLOW-FIBER LUMENS IS EXPECTED TO MINIMIZE FOULING. BECAUSE THE FIBERS THEMSELVES SERVE AS PRESSURE VESSELS, NO HEAVY EXTERNAL PRESSURE VESSEL IS REQUIRED. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT A MODULE OF THIS DESIGN WOULD BE ABOUT 1/16 THE WEIGHT OF A CONVENTIONAL MODULE AND WOULD REQUIRE ABOUT 1/2 THE SPACE. THE PHASE I PROGRAM DEMONSTRATES THE FOULINGRESISTANCE OF THIS MODULE CONFIGURATION DURING PROLONGED TREATMENT OF ACTUAL WASHWATER USING WATER-DESALTING MODULES ALREADY UNDER DEVELOPMENT. A PROTOTYPE LIGHT-WEIGHT , HIGH PRODUCTIVITY MODULE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR WASHWATER RECYCLING IS CONSTRUCTED AND TESTED. BASED ON THE TECHNICALRESULTS, A DESIGN ANALYSIS OF RO FOR SPACE VEHICLE WASHWATERRECYCLING IS CONDUCTED.

Principal Investigator:

Walter C. Babcock

Business Contact:

Small Business Information at Submission:

Bend Research Inc.
64550 Research Road Bend, OR 97701

EIN/Tax ID:
DUNS: N/A
Number of Employees: N/A
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No