Two-Stage Dust Removal System for Mars In-Situ Resource Utilization Systems: System Sizing and Trade-offs

A two-stage dust filtration system is presented for Mars in situ resource utilization (ISRU) gas processing systems consisting of a cyclone pre-filter and an electrostatic precipitator (ESP). An inertial cyclone pre-filter upstream of the ESP offers a regenerable, passive, and robust approach to capture the larger particles and reduce the required size of the ESP stage. We present the development of a system model to estimate performance of a cyclone-ESP dust separator operating under low-pressure, Martian conditions. We compare the model to experimental cyclone tests and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, and estimate the performance and scalability of a two-stage dust separation system. We present the sizing and collection efficiency trade-offs between the stages for a validation class ISRU processing system.