United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Sierra Space Corporation

Irpi LLC

Other

Orbital Technologies Corporation

Mark Milton Weislogel

John C Graf

Michael Peterson

Donald Roy Pettit

Daniel Aaron Wyman

John P Wetzel

Rawand M Rasheed

Nora D Shapiro

Andrew Wollman

Logan Torres

Ryan M Jenson

Christopher M Thomas

Yonghui Ma

Zachary James Setmire

Paul Concus

Ryan Jenson

Robert Finn

Ross Remiker

David Michael Hoerr

Andrew North

Tanya K Rogers

Evan A Thomas

Methods and systems are provided for a multiplexed phase separating inertial filter that is composed of helical through holes generating centrifugal separating forces. In one example, the inertial filter may be a planar porous material with an array of helical channels, each helical channel of the array of helical channels extending from a top surface of the porous material to a bottom surface of the porous material.

Method for multiplex inertial filter, collector and separator

An apparatus to separate water droplets from an air stream. The apparatus includes an elongated tube, a reservoir, and a helix structure. The elongated tube has a first end, a second end, a longitudinal axis, an inner surface, an inlet opening at the first end of the elongated tube, the inlet opening arranged to accept the air stream tangentially relative to the longitudinal axis, and an outlet opening at the second end of the elongated tube. The reservoir is positioned at a second end of the elongated tube. The helix structure is positioned within the elongated tube and includes an upper surface, a lower surface arranged opposite the upper surface, an outer edge, and a variable pitch along a length of the elongated tube, the variable pitch providing a variable interior angle between an inner wall of the elongated tube and the upper surface of the helix structure.

Low-gravity water capture device with water stabilization

Multiplex inertial filter, collector and separator

An apparatus to separate water droplets from an air stream includes an elongated tube having a first end and a second end. The elongated tube includes an opening at a first end of the elongated tube, the opening may be positioned to accept the air stream. A reservoir is positioned at a second end of the elongated tube. A helix structure is positioned within the elongated tube. The helix structure includes an upper surface, a lower surface arranged opposite the upper surface, an outer edge, and a variable pitch along a length of the elongated tube. The variable pitch may provide a variable interior angle between an inner wall of the elongated tube and the upper surface of the helix structure.

Low-gravity water capture device

A system and method for removing one or more predetermined gases from an environment is herein disclosed. An embodiment of the system and method will now be described. A means for conveying a fluid and a means for flowing the fluid is combined with adsorber and desorber sections. The fluid flows in the means for conveying the fluid by the means for flowing the fluid. Comparably, the fluid flows in the adsorber and desorber sections not by the means for flowing the fluid, but rather by capillary action. In the adsorber section, the environment is in direct contact with the fluid. The fluid is capable for adsorbing one or more gases from the environment. The fluid exits the adsorber section and subsequently flows into the desorber section. The desorber section is self-contained wherein an inner portion of the desorber section is not in direct contact with the environment. In the desorber section, the one or more gases are desorbed from the fluid into the inner portion of the desorber section. In an embodiment, the one or more gases exit the desorber section and the system as a whole.

Apparatus and method for carbon dioxide removal

A capillary beverage cup comprises a continuous interior corner extending from a lip interface into an inner cavity of the capillary beverage cup, the continuous interior corner comprising an acute included angle which tapers continuously as the interior corner approaches the lip interface. The capillary beverage cup provides a continuous capillary force on the liquid contained by the cup, allowing for complete withdrawal of fluid from the cup in low or near zero gravity environments, while enabling the cup to have an open top, allowing for aromatics to be experienced by a user while drinking with reduced concerns of spilling or release free-floating spheres of liquid in the low-gravity environment.

Capillary beverage cup

A beverage cup comprised by an open top and at least one channel defined by a corner with an acute angle so placed that the channel runs along the cup side from the cup bottom to the cup rim. In the absence of significant gravitational force as found in microgravity, weightless or weightlessness of spacecraft or the International Space Station, capillary forces between the beverage and the cup wall allow the beverage to creep along the channel and be in near proximity to the open cup rim. Lips placed at or near the channel at the rim can readily sip, drink, and consume the beverage without the need for a straw and without undue spillage for normal drinking motions including toasting. The channel conducts the beverage via capillary forces from the bottom of the cup to the rim until the beverage has been consumed.

Beverage cup for drinking use in spacecraft or weightless environments

A heat exchanger having a plurality of heat exchanging aluminum fins with hydrophilic condensing surfaces which are stacked and clamped between two cold plates. The cold plates are aligned radially along a plane extending through the axis of a cylindrical duct and hold the stacked and clamped portions of the heat exchanging fins along the axis of the cylindrical duct. The fins extend outwardly from the clamped portions along approximately radial planes. The spacing between fins is symmetric about the cold plates, and are somewhat more closely spaced as the angle they make with the cold plates approaches 90&#xb0;. Passageways extend through the fins between vertex spaces which provide capillary storage and communicate with passageways formed in the stacked and clamped portions of the fins, which communicate with water drains connected to a pump externally to the duct. Water with no entrained air is drawn from the capillary spaces.

Microgravity condensing heat exchanger

Apparatus and methods for separating a fluid are provided. The apparatus can include a separator and a collector having an internal volume defined at least in part by one or more surfaces narrowing toward a bottom portion of the volume. The separator can include an exit port oriented toward the bottom portion of the volume. The internal volume can receive a fluid expelled from the separator into a flow path in the collector and the flow path can include at least two directional transitions within the collector.

Systems and methods for separating a multiphase fluid

A pulse-thermal pump having a novel fluid flow wherein heat admitted to a closed system raises the pressure in a closed evaporator chamber while another interconnected evaporator chamber remains open. This creates a large pressure differential, and at a predetermined pressure the closed evaporator is opened and the opened evaporator is closed. This difference in pressure initiates fluid flow in the system.

Pulse thermal energy transport/storage system

Growing community of inventors

Tigard, OR, United States of America

Mark Milton Weislogel