Creare's water recovery system will enable exploration spacecraft to undertake long-duration missions while conserving water. Our system will not increase the size of the spacecraft thermal management system, and will enable use of state-of-the-art, pressure-swing absorption systems for CO2 removal. Applications include crewed exploration vehicles and manned surface rovers. The unit is compact, typically weighs less than one day's worth of water loss, and adds negligible air pressure drop to the cabin ventilation circuit. Combined with Creare's nonventing lithium chloride absorber/radiator (LCAR) technology, a similar system could be used in future EVA suits to prevent water from being vented along with carbon dioxide.
Creare's water recovery system can be used in terrestrial fuel cell power systems, where water management is a critical balance of plant function. It will be particularly useful for vehicles powered by PEM fuel cells, where compact size and light weight are critical requirements.
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