Packed Bed Reactor Experiment
Short Name:The short name or acronym of the facility. PBRE
Facility Description
The Packed Bed Reactor Experiment (PBRE) hardware was designed to study the behavior of two-phase flows (liquids and gases simultaneously) as they flow through a column of fixed porous media. The porous media can be a varied of shapes and materials. The two immiscible fluids can also be varied (e.g., liquid and gas, water and oil).
PBRE must operated inside the MicrogravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. Sciences Glovebox (MSG) and supports near real-time data downlink. A variety of diagnostics are available including gas and liquid flow rates, temperatures, pressures, and video. The data obtained from PBRE has significantly advanced our understanding of two-phase flows through packed columns (packed beds) in microgravity.
Availability:The general availability status of the facility. Please contact the facility manager
ISS Environment:The facility location (internal or external to the ISS.) Internal
Owner:The entity that owns the facility. NASA
Operator/Implementation Partner:The entity or ISS National Lab Implementation Partner that operates the facility.
NASA
Developer(s):The entity, or entities, that developed the facility.
NASA Glenn Research Center;
ZIN Technologies
Facility Manager:The name of the facility manager and their organization.
John McQuillen,
NASA Glenn Research Center
Manager Email:The facility manager's email address.
john.b.mcquillen@nasa.gov
Parent Facility:Any facility that is necessary to operate the facility described on this webpage. i.e., a parent facility is one level higher in the operational hierarachy. MSG
Child Facility:Facilities that can be operated within the facility described on this webpage.
Sponsoring Space Agency:The government space agency that sponsors investigations that use the facility. NASA
Equipment Category:"The facility's ISS National Lab equipment designation type. Designations include:
1. ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider (CSP) Facility
2. Support Hardware
3. Capability Capability
jsc2024e043917 (7/10/2024) --- Packed Bed Reactor Experiment-Water Recovery (PBRE-WR) examines flow rates of gas and liquid through a filtering substrate in the space station water processor, replacing oxygen with nitrogen. This preflight image shows the PBRE-WR test section with alumina packed bed material loaded. Scientists aim to learn more about how reduced gravity affects the performance and reliability of various filtration systems