SPACE CRAFTS LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM BASED ON SOLAR BIO-PANELS Russian patent published in 2018 - IPC B64G1/60 

FIELD: astronautics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to biological reactors for the photosynthetic microalgae cultivation, which can serve as a spacecraft (SC) life support system (LSS) element. Flow photo-reactor has a large-area plane-parallel walls and a small gap between the walls and a concentrated algal suspension. Photo-reactor is made in the form of bio-panels (in particular, in the form of a disc or "bellows") and is placed outside the SC sealed volume. This saves space inside the SC and simultaneously solves the problem of the bio-panels (located at an angle to the incident light) illumination by the Sun. Aqueous suspension is separated from the gaseous medium by gas exchange membranes (in particular, in the form of capillaries) or by the action of centrifugal forces during the (disk) photo-reactor rotation.

EFFECT: technical result consists in the creation of an efficient, lightweight and compact algal photo-reactor for SC LSS (it is expected that bio-panels with an area of about 2 m² and a weight of about 5 kg will be able to supply with oxygen and water a SC crew of two persons).

1 cl, 5 dwg