The water cycle in closed ecological systems: Perspectives from the Biosphere 2 and Laboratory Biosphere systems

To achieve sustainable, healthy closed ecological systems requires solutions to challenges of closing the water cycle – recycling wastewater/irrigation water/soil medium leachate and evaporated water and supplying water of required quality as needed for different needs within the facility. Engineering Biosphere 2, the first multi-biome closed ecological system within a total airtight footprint of 12,700 m² with a combined volume of 200,000 m³ with a total water capacity of some 6 × 10⁶ L of water was especially challenging because it included human inhabitants, their agricultural and technical systems, as well as five analogue ecosystems ranging from rainforest to desert, freshwater ecologies to saltwater systems like mangrove and mini-ocean coral reef ecosystems. By contrast, the Laboratory Biosphere – a small (40 m³ volume) soil-based plant growth facility with a footprint of 15 m² – is a very simplified system, but with similar challenges re salinity management and provision of water quality suitable for plant growth. In Biosphere 2, water needs included supplying potable water for people and domestic animals, irrigation water for a wide variety of food crops, and recycling and recovering soil nutrients from wastewater. In the wilderness biomes, providing adequately low salinity freshwater terrestrial ecosystems and maintaining appropriate salinity and pH in aquatic/marine ecosystems were challenges. The largest reservoirs in Biosphere 2 were the ocean/marsh with some 4 × 10⁶ L, soil with 1 to 2 × 10⁶ l, primary storage tank with 0 to 8 × 10⁵ L and storage tanks for condensate and soil leachate collection and mixing tanks with a capacity of 1.6 × 10⁵ L to supply irrigation for farm and wilderness ecosystems. Other reservoirs were far smaller – humidity in the atmosphere (2 × 10³ L), streams in the rainforest and savannah, and seasonal pools in the desert were orders of magnitude smaller (8 × 10⁴ L). Key technologies included condensation from humidity in the air handlers and from the glass space frame to produce high quality freshwater, wastewater treatment with constructed wetlands and desalination through reverse osmosis and flash evaporation were key to recycling water with appropriate quality throughout the Biosphere 2 facility. Wastewater from all human uses and the domestic animals in Biosphere 2 was treated and recycled through a series of constructed wetlands, which had hydraulic loading of 0.9–1.1 m³ day⁻¹ (240–290 gal d⁻¹). Plant production in the wetland treatment system produced 1210 kg dry weight of emergent and floating aquatic plant wetland which was used as fodder for the domestic animals while remaining nutrients/water was reused as part of the agricultural irrigation supply. There were pools of water with recycling times of days to weeks and others with far longer cycling times within Biosphere 2. By contrast, the Laboratory Biosphere with a total water reservoir of less than 500 L has far quicker cycling rapidity: for example, atmospheric residence time for water vapor was 5–20 min in the Laboratory Biosphere vs. 1–4 h in Biosphere 2, as compared with 9 days in the Earth’s biosphere. Just as in Biosphere 2, humidity in the Laboratory Biosphere amounts to a very small reservoir of water. The amount of water passing through the air in the course of a 12-h operational day is two orders of magnitude greater than the amount stored in the air. Thus, evaporation and condensation collection are vital parts of the recycle system just as in Biosphere 2. The water cycle and sustainable water recycling in closed ecological systems presents problems requiring further research – such as how to control buildup of salinity in materially closed ecosystems and effective ways to retain nutrients in optimal quantity and useable form for plant growth. These issues are common to all closed ecological systems of whatever size, including planet Earth’s biosphere and are relevant to a global environment facing increasing water shortages while maintaining water quality for human and ecosystem health. Modular biospheres offer a test bed where technical methods of resolving these problems can be tested for feasibility.     

V-22“鱼鹰”倾转旋翼机研制历程与关键技术

倾转旋翼机具有速度快、噪声小、航程远、载重大和耗油率低等优点,本文介绍了贝尔直升机公司V-22"鱼鹰"倾转旋翼机从原理验证阶段的XV-3机到方案验证阶段的XV-15机,再到实用工程研制阶段的V-22"鱼鹰"机循序渐进的研制历程,并叙述了倾转旋翼机研制中的几项关键技术。     

基于梳状谱发生器的毫米波相参脉压模拟器

研制了一种基于梳状谱发生器的全相参脉冲压缩毫米波雷达目标射频回波模拟器。通过与被测雷达共用基准频率参考信号,结合梳状谱发生器及DDS,保证了输出信号和雷达发射信号的相参性和快速频率跳变,实现较好的相位噪声性能和杂散抑制。该系统输出为Ka波段,带宽2GHz,步进100kHz,相位噪声小于一80dBc@1kHz,跳频时间小于2μs。     

对我国航天制造技术发展的探讨

在分析航天制造技术的重要作用及特征的基础上，总结了我国航天制造技术发展取得的成绩，剖析了现存在的主要问题，结合我国航天事业发展的需要，提出了发展航天制造技术需要重点采取的对策。     

航天数据固态记录器设计问题(下)

本文是航天工程数据固态记录器设计问题论文的第三部分。首先考察系统对于固态记录器的辐照加固要求与辐照试验方法，分析总剂量防护、单粒子翻转和单粒子闩锁的防护措施。在此基础上，分别从器件选用、容错设计和硬件与软件防护等方面，讨论固态记录器的辐照加固问题。给出固态记录器的核心部分存储阵列的可靠性计算公式。最后介绍固态记录器的３Ｄ封装工艺应用现状。     

微型卫星激光推进发射及其关键技术

介绍了激光推进的基本原理和典型分类，分析了国外研究情况与最新的研究进展，并论述了这种新型推进方式的特点，在简要介绍微型卫星发射特点的基础上，分析了将其用于微型卫星的可行性，着重阐述了激光推进发射中需解决的关键技术问题。     

飞机制造中新型质量控制模式——关键特性统计过程控制

分析了飞机制造中的关键特性统计过程控制法,针对我国飞机制造中的主要难点提出了关键特性的新概念及其确定方法.这是飞机制造中的一个切实可行的方法,对提高我国飞机制造的生产率和质量具有重要的现实意义.     

框类组件制造关键特性分析研究

论述了将关键特性统计过程控制法引入大型框类组件制造中的方案，以解决取消钻模后的装配协调问题，确定了制造关键特性树，给出了数字化制造中关键特性的控制方法。数字化制造及关键特性控制法使大型框类组件的制造技术水平达到一个新的高度，辅以数字化测量方法圆满解决了部件之间的协调问题。为大型框类组件的制造提供了一种新型制造方法。     

ATM网络中数据加密方法研究与实现

分析了ATM网络涉及的安全问题和所面临的威胁，探讨了ATM网络中数据加密方法、密码同步方法，提出了高速数据加密的实现方法。     

先进涡扇发动机空气系统与零件传热设计技术验证

本文简要介绍了中国燃气涡轮研究院在先进涡扇发动机空气系统与零件传热设计技术验证方面的研究情况,内容涉及发动机空气系统设计技术、零件热分析设计技术、涡轮叶片冷却设计技术及新型铸冷双层壳型高效涡轮冷却叶片设计中的关键技术。探讨了空气系统与零件传热设计技术中的设计计算方法、设计软件校核与改进、试验研究与参数测试、以及设计体系建设等问题,通过系统的模型、部件和发动机整机三个层次的试验验证,初步形成了空气系统与零件传热设计体系。