Bead Evaporator for Complete Water and Salt Recovery from Brine

A microgravity-compatible Brine Evaporation and Mineralization System (BEMS) is proposed for 100% water recovery from highly contaminated wastewater as well as water generated from entrained organic contaminant oxidation without concern for precipitation of organic and inorganic solids. The BEMS utilizes fully regenerable evaporation media, a catalytic oxidizer, and heat exchange technologies, which reduce Equivalent System Mass (ESM) for water recovery by eliminating the nominal brine byproduct, dramatically lowering consumables and reducing long-term waste storage requirements. The BEMS process will exceed the goal of 95% water recovery by 2017-2022 set forth by NASA in the space technology roadmap. Highly contaminated wastewater streams such as urine, hygiene water, and RO brines are major wastewater streams for the BEMS. The Phase I project will focus on development of the evaporation bed capacity and catalytic oxidizer efficiency. The Phase II will incorporate thermal efficiency and introduce catalytic capability into the evaporation bed to improve efficiency and result in delivery of a prototype system. These efforts will be the foundation for the design and construction of a flight ready prototype for use on the International Space Station.