Carbon-Based Reduction of Lunar Regolith (CRLR)

Physics – Condensed Matter – Materials Science

Scientific paper

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Lunar Soil, Liquid Oxygen, Metals, Microgravity, Reduction (Chemistry), Carbon, Gas Heating, Spaceborne Experiments, Temperature Profiles, Lunar Resources, Lunar Rocks, Regolith, Thermal Stresses, Lunar Environment, Iron Oxides, Simulation

Scientific paper

ORBITEC is developing a new high-temperature processing technique to produce oxygen and metals from lunar regolith via carbonaceous high-temperature reduction. The utility in this technique overcomes problematic issues inherent in traditional high-temperature processing methods that employ crucible-type containment vessels and hot-walled (i.e., resistance or inductive) furnaces. Crucible containment structures either crack from thermal and mechanical stress and/or react with the molten reaction mix, making it very unlikely that such a material could survive the repeated high-temperature thermal cycling in an economical LOX plant on the Moon. To enable in situ production of lunar oxygen, high-temperature reduction of lunar soil can be accomplished using a direct heating source, achieving high oxygen yield and high carbon (or hydrogen, depending on the reducing source) recovery. The direct heating approach uses the lunar regolith as its own insulative container. This approach allows extremely high processing temperatures (>2000 C) while eliminating the difficult requirement of developing a containment vessel that withstands these temperatures, is impervious to prolonged chemical attack, and is capable of thermal cycling. Reduction of regolith using this heating approach will provide NASA with a manageable, practical, and efficient technique for extracting oxygen from indigenous lunar resources for life support and propellant applications. In this effort, ORBITEC intends to demonstrate new techniques for achieving high oxygen yield and high carbon or hydrogen recovery. This will include developing integrated designs for both a production plant and a possible flight experiment on a NASA reduced-gravity aircraft.

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