A MULTI-EFFECT, WIPED-FILM, ROTATING-DISK EVAPORATOR FOR THE RECLAMATION OF WATER AT ZERO GRAVITY

THE EXISTING DESIGN OF THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE, WIPED-FILM ROTATING-DISK (WFRD), VAPOR-COMPRESSION DISTILLATION (VCD) UNIT WILL BE MODIFIED FOR OPERATION AT ZERO GRAVITY. BECAUSE OF ITS VERY HIGH HEAT-TRANSFER COEFFICIENT AND LOW ENERGY REQUIREMENT, THE MODIFIED WFRD UNIT HAS THE POTENTIALOF REDUCING THE SIZE AND WEIGHT OF THE VCD SUBSYSTEM, AS WELL AS REDUCING THE MECHANICAL ENERGY REQUIRED TO DRIVE IT. IN THIS PROJECT, THERMODYNAMICS, FLUID MECHANICS, AND HEAT-TRANSFER CALCULATIONS WILL BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE ZERO-G OPERATION, AS WELL AS CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS FOR MANNED SPACECRAFT MISSIONS. THE EXISTING DESIGN OF THE WFRD WILL BE MODIFIED FOR OPERATION AT ZERO GRAVITY. TWO DETAILED DESIGNS WILL BE MADE: A SIMPLE VCD DESIGN AND A TWO-EFFECT DESIGN. THE TWO DESIGNS WILL BE COMPARED TO WEIGH THE THERMODYNAMIC ADVANTAGES OF THE TWO-EFFECT DESIGN AGAINST THE ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS NEEDED FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION. THE EXISTING DESIGN OF THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE, WIPED-FILM ROTATING-DISK (WFRD), VAPOR-COMPRESSION DISTILLATION (VCD) UNIT WILL BE MODIFIED FOR OPERATION AT ZERO GRAVITY. BECAUSE OF ITS VERY HIGH HEAT-TRANSFER COEFFICIENT AND LOW ENERGY REQUIREMENT, THE MODIFIED WFRD UNIT HAS THE POTENTIALOF REDUCING THE SIZE AND WEIGHT OF THE VCD SUBSYSTEM, AS WELL AS REDUCING THE MECHANICAL ENERGY REQUIRED TO DRIVE IT. IN THIS PROJECT, THERMODYNAMICS, FLUID MECHANICS, AND HEAT-TRANSFER CALCULATIONS WILL BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE ZERO-G OPERATION, AS WELL AS CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS FOR MANNED SPACECRAFT MISSIONS. THE EXISTING DESIGN OF THE WFRD WILL BE MODIFIED FOR OPERATION AT ZERO GRAVITY. TWO DETAILED DESIGNS WILL BE MADE: A SIMPLE VCD DESIGN AND A TWO-EFFECT DESIGN. THE TWO DESIGNS WILL BE COMPARED TO WEIGH THE THERMODYNAMIC ADVANTAGES OF THE TWO-EFFECT DESIGN AGAINST THE ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS NEEDED FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION.