Modular Membrane Dehumidification for Independent Cabin Air CO2 Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing environmental control systems (ECS) for removing contaminants from cabin air are large, heavy, and power-intensive, and they often oversize components for high contaminant removal rates, which is not typical in most operating environments.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a carbon dioxide removal system using a liquid sorbent and a humidity management system with multiple membrane dehumidifiers that can be modularly selected and arranged to vary the humidity removal rate independently of the carbon dioxide removal rate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a liquid sorbent with high water affinity is used to remove carbon dioxide, then carbon dioxide removal efficiency is improved, but power consumption increases and vacuum source reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the water vapor removal function from the carbon dioxide removal process by adding a separate humidity management system upstream. This prevents water from entering the liquid sorbent, allowing the sorbent to operate at optimal water concentration (5-20%) without requiring excessive power for water removal while maintaining high carbon dioxide removal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the contaminant removal process into two independent stages: humidity management (water vapor removal) and carbon dioxide removal. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized independently, with the humidity management system handling water control and the liquid sorbent system handling carbon dioxide removal, thereby reducing overall power consumption and improving reliability.
2Productivity
If a liquid sorbent with high water affinity is used to remove carbon dioxide, then carbon dioxide removal efficiency is improved, but vacuum source reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts water vapor from the cabin air stream before it reaches the carbon dioxide removal system. By placing the humidity management system upstream, water is removed separately, preventing condensation in the vacuum source and maintaining its reliability while the liquid sorbent continues to efficiently remove carbon dioxide.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments water vapor removal from carbon dioxide removal, with the humidity management system handling water control upstream. This segmentation protects the vacuum source from water condensation while maintaining high carbon dioxide removal efficiency through the liquid sorbent system.
3Ease of operation
If a conventional condensing heat exchanger is used to remove humidity, then humidity removal is achieved, but the system cannot independently control humidity and carbon dioxide removal rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments humidity removal from carbon dioxide removal into two independent systems. The humidity management system with membrane dehumidifiers can be independently controlled to match varying humidity generation rates, while the carbon dioxide removal system independently handles carbon dioxide. This allows each parameter to be controlled according to its own requirements without being coupled to the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic control where the humidity management system can adjust its operation based on real-time humidity conditions in the cabin. The modular membrane dehumidifiers can be selectively activated to match the actual humidity generation rate, providing adaptive control that responds to changing operational conditions rather than being fixed for maximum anticipated humidity.
4Use of energy by moving object
If the cabin air stream is dehumidified before carbon dioxide removal, then power consumption and vacuum load are reduced, but additional system complexity is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the air treatment process into two sequential stages: humidity management followed by carbon dioxide removal. This segmentation simplifies the operation of each individual system while the integrated configuration provides overall system benefits including reduced power consumption and lower vacuum loads on the carbon dioxide removal system.
Solution Approach 2:
The humidity management system performs preliminary water vapor removal from the cabin air stream before the air enters the carbon dioxide removal system. This preliminary action reduces the water content that would otherwise reach the liquid sorbent and vacuum source, decreasing power consumption and improving reliability without requiring complex integrated control mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for efficient and reliable contaminant removal while optimizing power consumption and component reliability, and it maintains optimal humidity levels in the cabin air.
Implementation Method 1
a carbon dioxide removal system to remove carbon dioxide from the cabin air through absorption into a liquid sorbent
Implementation Method 2
The liquid sorbent may have a high affinity for water, such that the liquid sorbent may absorb a portion of the humidity in the cabin air
Implementation Method 3
The humidity management system includes two or more membrane dehumidifiers that can be modularly selected and arranged based on a desired removal rate of humidity from the cabin air
Implementation Method 4
increase a load on a vacuum source used to desorb the carbon dioxide
Data Source
AI summary
A contaminant removal system includes a humidity management system and a carbon dioxide removal system downstream of the humidity management system. The humidity management system is configured to remove water vapor from a cabin air stream to produce a dehumidified air stream, and includes two or more membrane dehumidifiers. The carbon dioxide removal system is configured to remove carbon dioxide from the dehumidified air stream using a liquid sorbent.