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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Project Objective
To develop the Microwave AeroGel Volatile Collector (MAGVC) volatile collection subsystem into a novel gas collection system that can store chemical resources extracted from the lunar surface. This was achieved by collecting water from regolith simulant using a microwave source in vacuum conditions and testing a novel filter material. Once the collection capability was validated, the collection subsystem design was readdressed and manufactured for future full system testing.
Project Description
The Microwave Aerogel Volatile Collector (MAGVC) Center Innovation Fund (CIF) project seeks to test candidate water vapor collection methods and refine the MAGVC collection chamber design. Collection method and filter material tests were completed in the Rapid Microwave Exposure Chamber (R-MEC). Following this, modifications to the design of the MAGVC collection chamber were evaluated and implemented to manufacture multiple MAGVC prototypes.
This project would like to acknowledge the essential support received from student interns including David (Ben) Whaley – University of Houston - MAGVC Inventor/Summer 2023 Intern; Brett Belschoff – University of North Dakota - Spring 2024 Intern; Ayden Weil – Florida Institute of Technology - Pathways Spring 2024 Intern; Hannah Epstein – Cornell University - Summer 2024 Intern; Myah Pablo – Texas A&M - Summer 2024 Intern; Henry Kaplan – Yale University - Summer 2024 Intern; Kayla Carneal – Georgia Institute of Technology - Pathways Summer 2024 Intern; Javier Solis – University of North Texas - Spring 2023 Intern; and Nichole Dukett – University of Houston-Downtown - Summer 2023 Intern.
Project Results and Conclusions
The Microwave Aerogel Volatile Collector (MAGVC) Center Innovation Fund (CIF) objective was to investigate potential filter and collection methods of water vapor from lunar regolith to modify and update the existing MAGVC collection and storage design. To achieve this, the Rapid Microwave Exposure Chamber (R-MEC) test system was upgraded to accommodate installing novel graphene oxide filters in the system, additional gate valves to control pumpdown speed and re-pressurization, and to handle regolith in the vacuum system.
In addition to these R-MEC upgrades, a cold trap was installed in the system, providing a qualitative and quantitative method to perform a proof of concept and evaluate the impacts and effectiveness of the novel graphene oxide filters on water vapor capture from water doped regolith. Vacuum microwave tests of water doped regolith showed visual collection of water vapor on the cold trap with and without a graphene oxide filter installed in R-MEC. Graphene oxide filters did survive the vacuum and microwaves upon initial visual inspection and with a microscope. Regolith particles also did not travel down line of the system and damage vacuum pumps. Percent water loss from the cold trap compared to the initial doped water was consistently higher with the graphene oxide filters installed. The cause is unsure, but possibly a decrease in the line of sight from the volatilized water to the cold plate impacted the results as well as differing humidity from the different test days. Humidity impacts were factored into the calculated test results.
Due to the experience gained in testing the graphene oxide filters and demonstrating the proof of concept of utilizing a nearby line-of-sight cold trap to capture volatilized water, the MAGVC team decided to modify the existing MAGVC collection method. The original design utilized a collection chamber placed at the top of the MAGVC hemisphere consisting of volatile tanks. Ultimately, the team decided to simplify the design through removing the insulating aerogel layer and utilizing a single hemispherical shell. This change allows for the use of the ambient cold lunar temperatures, provides a larger surface area for collection, and allows for line-of-sight volatile condensation, as opposed to depending on insulation to force the flow of volatiles to the top of the hemisphere. The goal for this design change is to also allow for a larger quantity of collected water and ease of collection. To further experiment, the MAGVC team finalized two new prototype designs, one of a hemispherical shell with steps etched into the inner walls and one without steps to experiment with further enhancing surface area for collection. The top of the hemispheres has a port to allow for a microwave waveguide. These prototypes will allow for a full-scale test of the MAGVC collection method without the need to rely on insulation and protection of aerogel materials in the hostile lunar environment. Prototypes were manufactured upon the completion of the CIF. This design focuses on the extraction of water from regolith but could have analogous applications for other chemical species.
In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technology capable of extracting and repurposing extraterrestrial resources is vital to realizing NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives of human establishment on the lunar surface. The ability to extract key volatiles such as hydrogen and oxygen from the lunar surface for vehicle propellant would drastically reduce future mission costs and expedite the construction of life-sustaining architecture on Mars (NASA 2020 Taxonomy numbers: TX 13.1.4, TX 07.1.2, TX 07.1.3). The development of the MAGVC’s gas collection system has future potential use in additive manufacturing (AM) as an impurity removal process and as an inert gas recycler. This would result in increased print fidelity while also reducing costs arising from excessive loss of inert gasses during AM and in-space manufacturing (ISM) efforts. The main objective of this proof of concept is to successfully incorporate the extraction process developed in the FY23 CIF with a novel gas filtration and storage system. The MAGVC is a revolutionary volatile extraction system that uses microwave radiation to induce an off-gassing effect in volatile-rich regolith and is comprised of a magnetron (originally an aerogel-insulated chamber) method to store volatiles and an autonomous operating system. The MAGVC was previously awarded $10k under LSPACE’s NPWEE to begin developing the technology and then awarded $103K for an FY23 CIF, titled "Microwave AeroGel Volatile Collector (MAGVC) Aerogel and Microwave Radiation Study," with the scope focusing on the insulating chamber. This CIF is serving as a continuation of work for these efforts in conjunction with providing valuable data to future missions. With the momentum from the LSPACE development and the first CIF project, this CIF seeks to increase the collection subsystem from TRL 2 to TRL 3. The end goal of these efforts is to have an autonomous volatile extraction and collection system for ISRU efforts while aiding AM and ISM processes.
To develop the MAGVC volatile collection subsystem into a novel gas collection system that can filter, separate, and store chemical resources extracted from the lunar surface. This will be achieved by first collecting water from regolith simulant, and in future work, potentially working with the ionic liquids team and ISMAC group to expand the capability to also collect other desirable volatiles. Once the collection capability is validated, the collection method will be tested using microwave radiation for extraction to validate the systemic performance. This development addresses the need of technology gap STMD-AMSC-384, the ISRU production of commodities, and is revolutionary because the process of collecting water vapors has been developed, but this project seeks to develop a new technology to increase the purity of collected water with the intention of expanding to capturing additional volatile species as the technology is developed further.
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