Breathing Cup Analysis
As an astronaut in a spacesuit exhales, the CO2 and water vapor in the breath must be captured to prevent their buildup in the suit. The best way to remove those contaminants is to do so as close to the astronaut's nose and mouth as possible, before they begin to circulate in the suit.
Before an efficient removal system could be devised, students had to develop a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model of the oral/nasal area of the astronaut in the suit to understand the flow of air to be captured. Once that model was developed, students began to create various prototypes of a breathing cup that captures CO2 and water vapor at their highest concentrations immediately upon exhalation. The prototypes are being developed using a rapid prototyper at Central Connecticut State University and will be tested by the students using a simulated ventilation loop.
Student participants and affiliations:
- Arthur Calef, Manchester Community College
- Bryan Parsons, Quinebaug Valley Community College
- Shalane Regan, University of Hartford
The Center
for Life Support and Sustainable Living is funded in part through a grant from the
National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education program. Copyright
2008. All rights reserved.