Browsing by Author "Seidel, Achim"
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Item Payload Concept Evaluation for Water/Oxygen production on the Moon based on Thermo- or Electro-Chemical Reduction of Lunar Regolith(50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/12/2021) Fereres, Sonia; Morales, Mercedes; Denk, Thorsten; Osen, Karen; McGlen, Ryan J.; Seidel, Achim; Madakashira, Hemanth; Urbina, Diego; Binns, DavidUsing space-based resources (In-Situ Resource Utilization, ISRU) to produce life support and propulsion consumables such as oxygen or water offers the possibility of a more sustainable and cost-effective exploration of the Moon when compared to missions relying solely on material transport from Earth. Learning how to operate on the Moon with local resources, reduced gravity and a harsh environment is a stepping stone towards developing technology for a sustained human presence in space. We analyze several technical concepts to produce oxygen or water from lunar regolith. Thermochemical reduction processes of solid lunar materials using hydrogen (hydrogen reduction of ilmenite), methane (carbothermal) reduction and other processes such as molten salt electrochemistry (e.g. the FFC-Cambridge process) are evaluated. Focus is set on the technological solutions for supporting fluid management systems required to produce, separate, collect, and measure water or oxygen from solid oxide chemical/electrochemical processes, evaluating their technology readiness level, current necessary developments and their potential interaction with other life support and exploration activities. Technology de-risking plans to demonstrate fluid management system feasibility and tests in relevant environments are proposed to support establishing a human presence on the Moon sustained by local resources.Item ROXY - An economically viable process to produce oxygen and metals from regolith(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Seidel, Achim; Altenburg, Martin; Monchieri, Emanuele; Quadbeck, Peter; Redlich, Christian; Pal, Uday; Strigl, FlorianFuture exploration missions to the Moon and beyond will be dependent on the use of local resources, provided that they can be produced very efficiently such that their mass exceeds the mass of any needed consumables or spares to sustain the process. Metals and oxygen are among the most important resources to be made available, in particular with the aim of supporting an incremental human presence on the Moon and beyond. A method to produce these resources from local feedstock via the use of a compact, light, and process efficient facility ensuring high yields and low requirements for resupply of material from Earth will therefore represent a strong enabler for several exploration scenarios. Among the many methods that have been studied so far, molten salt electrolysis with solid oxide membranes is very promising since it meets those basic criteria. A specific implementation of this method to lunar applications called ROXY (Regolith to Oxygen and Metals) has been developed and tested, and the design and operations of related demonstration and production facilities have been investigated. Performance figures of such facilities such as mass and power consumption in relation to the mass of produced materials are very attractive provided that the thermal design and operating parameters of the reactor are carefully matched to the process.