Unique Regeneration Steps for the Sorbent-Based Atmosphere Revitalization System Designed for CO ₂ and H ₂ O Removal from Spacecraft Cabins

An SBAR system for H₂O and CO₂ removal from spacecraft cabin air was studied both experimentally and theoretically. An emphasis was placed on its purgeless, deep vacuum regeneration step. Three evacuation steps were studied: 1) single ended depressurization (SED) through the feed end of the bed; 2) simultaneous dual ended depressurization (DED) through both ends of the bed; and 3) simultaneous triple ended depressurization (TED) through both ends of the bed and a port located at some axial position. TED resulted in a lower average bed pressure at the end of evacuation compared to DED, which, in turn caused more CO₂ to be removed. An optimal third port location also existed. The use of TED should allow the SBAR bed size to be reduced.