Cryogenic Air Purification For deep space exploration.

Paper number

IAC-18,B3,7,3,x46458

Author

Dr. Yan Pennec, France, Air Liquide

Year

2018

Abstract

Deep space exploration and settlement represents a new frontier for the progress
of mankind. From the first stratospheric flight to the Apollo missions to the International
Space Station, the occupancy and duration of flights have raised tremendously. It has
put increasing demands on life support systems capabilities. Within the realm of air
revitalization, several technological milestones have been witnessed from using gas
bottles (O2) or single shot chemical capture (LiOH) to current regenerative adsorbent
beds (molecular sieves, amines). Looking forward, the next milestone technology must
be able to provide air revitalization systems capable of handling tens of crew members
for decades. Next generation systems must not only improve efficiency and reliability
but they must become very low maintenance and require minimal consumables.
ALAT defends the use of capture and separation of air pollutants by cryogenic
means as a promising candidate. ALAT proposal is strongly supported by its long
standing experience and heritage in functional technologies (gases engineering,
cryogenics) and system development (life support, cooler and distillator and
separator).
In this presentation we will introduce the first results of our breadboard demonstrator
targeted at the ISS and how it could be extrapolated for a lunar mission.

Abstract document

IAC-18,B3,7,3,x46458.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-18,B3,7,3,x46458.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.