Solar Concentrator Demonstrator for Lunar Regolith Processing
- Paper number
IAC-08.C3.2.5
- Author
Mr. John Fikes, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Marshall Space Flight Center, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is building a portable inflatable solar concentrator ground demonstrator apparatus for use in testing in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) lunar regolith processing methods. Of primary interest is the processing of lunar regolith to produce oxygen as a propellant oxidizer and for life support. There are various processes being proposed for the in-situ reduction of the lunar regolith, the leading processes are hydrogen reduction, carbothermal reduction and vapor phase pyrolysis. All of these processes can be achieved using direct solar thermal energy input. The concentrator system being built at MSFC could support demonstrations of all of these processes. The system consists of a light weight inflatable concentrator that will capture sunlight and focus the collected solar energy onto a receiver inside a vacuum chamber. A six degrees-of-freedom (DOF) hexapod and turn table to constantly track the sun and keep the focal point on a fixed target. The vacuum chamber provides a simulated space environment for the receiver. The inflatable concentrator is made of a polyimide material that has been proven to withstand space environmental effects. A reflective coating is deposited on the inner surface of one of two films, which are sealed around the circumference, and attached to a torus to keep tension on the perimeter of the lenticular surface. When inflated till rigid, this assembly forms an off-axis parabolic concentrator. Support struts attach the concentrator to the hexapod. Inflatable concentrators are good for space based applications due to their low weight and dense packaging at launch. The system will be able to produce concentrated solar thermal energy for lunar regolith (simulant) processing in an Earth based ground test. If the system was operating in the lunar environment (without the earth’s atmosphere ) then it would be capable of producing about five times more energy for processing more regolith or requiring a smaller facility. The hexapod design allows the spot size to be increased to reduce the power density if needed for the process being demonstrated. In addition to the hardware development a comprehensive simulation model is being developed and will be verified and validated using the system hardware. The model will allow for the evaluation of different lunar locations and operational scenarios for the lunar regolith processing with a high confidence that predicted results are achievable.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.C3.2.5.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.