The Carbon Dioxide Removal by Ionic Liquid System (CDRILS) utilizes a continuously recirculated ionic liquid sorbent and hollow fiber membrane contactors for carbon dioxide removal from air. The CDRILS flight demonstration unit design has been refined with selected flight components, demonstrated flight-scale contactors, custom volume-saving manifolds and secondary containment components, and an integrated Sabatier. Integrated CO2 reduction to methane via a Sabatier saves size, weight, volume, and power compared to CO2 storage and conversion in separate systems. It also allows waste heat from the Sabatier reaction to be repurposed for ionic liquid heating via a thermal link for power savings to CDRILS. Preliminary CDRILS interface and safety requirements were derived from the NASA ISS program documentation and have been considered in the design concepts. The refined design continues to fit within half of an ISS Basic Express Rack (BER). Several important supporting components unique to CDRILS or with stringent power and durability requirements have been evaluated off-the-shelf or through custom development, including the vacuum pump, blower, dehumidifier, water separator, and Sabatier reactor. Concepts for CDRILS integration with methane pyrolysis and other ECLSS subsystems are outlined.
Henson et al. (Sun,) studied this question.