Metal Oxidation Warming System Fuel Cell (MOWS-TP)

The Metal Oxidation Warming System (MOWS) Fuel Cell is a combination of technologies that will enable Lunar surface systems and payloads to survive and operate in extremely cold Lunar environments. Specifically, extreme environments such as Lunar night and permanently shadowed regions are of great scientific interest. The current state of the art to survive these environments is radioisotope heating via a Radioisotope Heat Unit (RHU) or a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). These systems are prohibitive for all but flagship NASA missions. The MOWS system, on the other hand, generates heat via a highly exothermic reaction between a specific catalyst and oxidizer. Both materials are relatively harmless and will require minimal considerations when being implemented in a mission. Metering the amount of catalyst and oxidizer introduced to the reaction allows for tailoring of heat output dependent on system needs. The design is such that the consumables are modular to account for differing mission durations. In additional to heat generation, MOWS also includes a fuel cell for power generation in these extreme Lunar environments. A novel H2O2 fuel cell is under development to utilize reaction products already present from the system. The combination of technologies will result in a complete system with high specific energy and low mass that provides survival heat and operational power to a payload or spacecraft. Due to the nature of the system, it is completely sealed from the external environment which makes it extremely robust against dust and other contaminants. The complete system will enable new science and exploration within extreme environments on the Lunar surface.

The Metal Oxidation Warming System (MOWS) Fuel Cell will provide several key benefits that enable science and exploration in extreme Lunar environments. The primary benefit is providing heat, without requiring electrical input, that will keep a payload warm during the extreme cold of Lunar night and in permanently shadowed regions. This is critical since it is estimated that an additional 5kg of batteries is required for every 1W of heater power required to survive in these environments. It provides this heat energy in a small form factor that is easily integrated into payloads and spacecraft. Additionally, MOWS-FC does not use radioactive isotopes to generate heat, facilitating a path to commercialization by industry. The fuel cell will allow for surface systems to not only survive but to operate in these extreme Lunar environments, and it uses a product that some landers are already using as propellant. The science and exploration benefits provided by this technology will be numerous.

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