Location
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/Enterprise Rooms
Start Date
23-4-1992 1:00 PM
Description
A CELSS is a critical technology for the Space Exploration Initiative. NASA KSC has been performing CELSS research for several years, developing data related to CELSS design and operation. MDSSC-KSC has recently developed OCAM, a CELSS modeling tool, and has been using this tool to evaluate CELSS concepts. The tool models carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen recycling. Multiple crops and plant types can be simulated. Resource recovery options from inedible biomass include leaching, enzyme treatment, aerobic digestion and mushroom and fish growth. Data for the models has been taken primarily from the KSC CELSS Breadboard project. Results include time-history graphs of biomass, carbon dioxide, and oxygen; energy consumption; and manpower requirements. Expected results that were demonstrated include the benefit of using many small crops overlapping in time, instead of a single large crop. Unanticipated results include startup transients which reduce the benefit of multiple small crops. The relative contributions of mass, energy, and manpower to system cost have been analyzed in order to determine appropriate research directions.
Paper Session III-B - Closed Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Modeling
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/Enterprise Rooms
A CELSS is a critical technology for the Space Exploration Initiative. NASA KSC has been performing CELSS research for several years, developing data related to CELSS design and operation. MDSSC-KSC has recently developed OCAM, a CELSS modeling tool, and has been using this tool to evaluate CELSS concepts. The tool models carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen recycling. Multiple crops and plant types can be simulated. Resource recovery options from inedible biomass include leaching, enzyme treatment, aerobic digestion and mushroom and fish growth. Data for the models has been taken primarily from the KSC CELSS Breadboard project. Results include time-history graphs of biomass, carbon dioxide, and oxygen; energy consumption; and manpower requirements. Expected results that were demonstrated include the benefit of using many small crops overlapping in time, instead of a single large crop. Unanticipated results include startup transients which reduce the benefit of multiple small crops. The relative contributions of mass, energy, and manpower to system cost have been analyzed in order to determine appropriate research directions.
