The existing design of the high performance wiped-filmrotating-disk (WFRD) vapor compression distillation (VCD) unit will bemodified for operation at zero gravity. Because of its very high heattransfer coefficient and low energy requirement, the modified WFRD unithas the potential of reducing the size and weight of the VCD subsystemas well as reducing the mechanical energy required to drive it. In thisproject, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer calculationswill be made to accommodate zero gravity operation as well as capacityrequirements for manned spacecraft missions. The existing design of theWFRD will be modified for operation at zero gravity. Two detaileddesigns will be made; a simple VCD design and a two-effect design. Thetwo designs will be compared to weigh the thermodynamic advantages ofthe two-effect design against the additional components needed for itsconstruction.Applications would be in producing double or triple distilled water forpharmaceutical industry, distilling water for the water bottlingindustry, desalting, and cleaning impaired waters. The small capacityunit produced by this project could be used in photographic shops toreduce, in situ, the volume of toxic, photographic waste solutions priorto disposal.water reclamation, VCD, WFRD evaporator, design modification, high heattransfer coefficient, energy saving, multieffect VCDSTATUS: Phase I Only
