Biological Life Support System Demostration Facility: The Melissa Pilot Plant

MELISSA (Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is a research project for the development of advanced life support systems, conducted by the European Space Agency. Its basic design is based on a loop of bioreactors with the main objective of the regeneration of the wastes generated by a crew into an edible material, with concomitant regeneration of the atmosphere for human respiration. The MELISSA Pilot Plant is a European facility to study and validate advanced life support systems. It has as main objectives the ground demonstration and characterization of a closed loop concept. This includes the development of the associated technology for its successful continuous operation such as water treatment, pathogen detection, food preparation, and other related items. At present time, the main research project developed in the Pilot plant is the MELISSA project. A key point in its development is the collection of experimental data under real operating conditions in order to perform mathematical modeling. This is a key issue in the approximation followed, both for the control and simulation of the individual bioreactors and the complete loop. The state of the art of the pilot plant is discussed, and particular emphasis is made in the description of the continuous operation of the interconnected bioreactors. Also the necessary associated research, required for its successful operation, such as the development of an advanced control system or the analysis of the effect of the malfunction of one compartment, on the subsequent ones are reviewed.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.4271/2000-01-2379
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01487191
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of SAE International.
• Authors:
  • Albiol, Joan
  • Gòdia, Francesc
  • Luis Montesinos, José
  • Pérez, Julio
  • Vernerey, Anne
  • Cabello, Fernando
  • Creus, Nuria
  • Morist, Anna
  • Mengual, Xavier
  • Lasseur, Christophe
• Conference:
  • International Conference On Environmental Systems
  • Location: San Francisco California, United States
  • Date: 2008-6-29 to 2008-7-2
• Publication Date: 1998-7-13

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Serial:
  • SAE Technical Paper
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • ISSN: 0148-7191
  • EISSN: 2688-3627
  • Serial URL: http://papers.sae.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Biology; Control systems; Life support systems; Mathematical models; Sewage treatment
• Subject Areas: Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01796504
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: SAE International
• Report/Paper Numbers: 2000-01-2379
• Files: TRIS, SAE
• Created Date: Dec 9 2021 10:18AM