DEVICE FOR DEHUMIDIFICATION OF AIR IN SPACECRAFT PRESSURIZED COMPARTMENTS Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: manned spacecraft, mainly orbital stations; control of air moisture content in closed rooms on Earth. SUBSTANCE: device includes housing with prechamber and fan, inlet and outlet branch pipes, heat exchanger and wick; side surface of wick base and bottom of housing are made in accordance with surface formed by lines of runoff of flow of moisture absorbed by wick in discharging it by means of pump, thus excluding nonworking zones in wick base, i. e. zones lying beyond this side surface from which moisture is not removed during entire operating period. Such construction of wick base and bottom of housing makes it possible to considerably reduce overall dimensions and masses; these characteristics are also reduced due to effective organization of heat exchange. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency; avoidance of entrainment of moisture into compartment with dehumidified air; reduced operating time and consequently reduced power requirements. 4 dwg