Development of Ionomer-membrane Water Processor (IWP) technology for water recovery from urine

Closing the water loop on long duration spaceflight missions is a key aspect of reducing mission mass and logistics support for orbiting facilities and interplanetary spacecraft. Currently, no single practical process exists that is capable of extracting purified water from urine in a single step. The vapor compression distillation (VCD) system currently being used onboard ISS distills water from pretreated urine, recovering ~75% of the water in the urine. However the system is complex and produces concentrated brine that requires further processing for water recovery. Paragon is developing the use of ionomer-microporous membrane technology known as Ionomer-membrane Water Processor (IWP) to improve the robustness and effectiveness of and to simplify water recovery processes for space applications. Through a NASA SBIR Phase 2 effort, Paragon developed IWP through membrane selection testing, a conceptual system analysis utilizing IWP as brine processor for ISS, and design of an engineering development unit (EDU). Results of that development and testing are presented, including achieved water recovery and product water purity.