Case Study: NASA improves carbon dioxide removal system design with COMSOL Multiphysics

NASA improves ISS CO2 compressor design with Comsol, cutting a 150-minute cycle’s thermal tradeoffs

NASA faced the challenge of redesigning the noisy, high-maintenance compressor within the carbon dioxide removal system on the International Space Station. They partnered with Comsol, using the COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation platform, to analyze and improve the thermal performance of a next-generation compressor design.

Comsol's multiphysics simulation software enabled NASA to create and validate a thermal model of the new compressor against experimental test data. Using this validated model, Comsol helped NASA perform design trade studies that led to key improvements, including the use of external heaters to reduce complexity and vapor chambers to improve temperature uniformity, ultimately resulting in a more efficient and reliable system for astronauts.

NASA