Electrochemically Regenerable Carbon Dioxide/Moisture Control Technology for an Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Regenerable carbon dioxide (CO₂)/moisture removal techniques that reduce the expendables and logistics requirements are needed to sustain people undertaking extravehicular activities (EVA) for the Space Station. Life Systems, working with NASA, has been developing the Electrochemically Regenerable CO₂ Absorption (ERCA) technology to replace the nonregenerable lithium hydroxide (LiOH) absorber for the, advanced Portable Life Support System (PLSS).⁽¹⁾ During EVA the ERCA uses a mechanism involving gas absorption into a liquid absorbent for the removal and storage of the metabolically produced CO₂ and moisture. Following the EVA, the expended absorbent is regenerated on-board the Space Station by an electrochemical concept based on the Life Systems' Electrochemical CO₂ Concentrator (EDC) technology. The ERCA concept has the ability to effectively satisfy the high metabolic CO₂ and moisture removal requirements of PLSS applications. This paper defines the ERCA concept and its advantages for the PLSS application, reviews breadboard test data and presents physical characteristics of the breadboard and projected flight hardware.