Continuous Wire 3D Printed Sorbent Structures

To improve size, weight, and power (SWaP) of spacecraft carbon dioxide (CO2) and water removal systems, Mainstream Engineering Corporation (Mainstream) developed the process to embed resistive wires directly into an additively manufactured (AM) sorbent bed for optimized regeneration. This process drastically reduces the thermal contact resistance compared to the current system of heating elements. In Phase I, Mainstream focused on developing the mechanism and process for embedding the resistive wire into the sorbent beds (three patents in progress). In Phase II, Mainstream will focus primarily on scaleup, testing, and optimization. We will optimize our paste and scale paste manufacturing to fabricate larger structures, and create separate paste formulations for CO2 and H2O adsorption. Additionally, we will improve our control system by adding additional optimization features (e.g., intra-layer wire spacing) and manufacturing improvements (e.g., refining wire lead location for wire management). We will also design an electrical control system capable of controlling current output and monitoring wire health. We will fabricate sub-scale and full-scale wire-embedded structures using these refined components for testing. We will use the sub-scale structures for accelerated life testing where we will perform accelerated adsorption cycles with standard desorption cycles to simulate long-term use. Finally, we will perform full-scale testing at representative flow rates and adsorbate concentrations to validate the integrations feasibility and expected service performance. To improve size, weight, and power (SWaP) of spacecraft carbon dioxide (CO2) and water removal systems, Mainstream Engineering Corporation (Mainstream) developed the process to embed resistive wires directly into an additively manufactured (AM) sorbent bed for optimized regeneration. This process drastically reduces the thermal contact resistance compared to the current system of heating elements. In Phase II, we will optimize our paste and scale paste manufacturing to fabricate larger structures, and create separate paste formulations for CO2 and H2O adsorption. Additionally, we will improve our control system by adding additional optimization features and manufacturing improvements. We will also design an electrical control system capable of controlling current output and monitoring wire health. We will use sub-scale printed structures for accelerated life testing. Finally, we will perform full-scale testing at representative flow rates and adsorbate concentrations to validate expected service performance. The Proposed Phase II tasks are: Optimize zeolite paste composition and sintering procedure Refine wire embedded printing process Create next-generation sorbent structure design Perform performance and accelerated life testing Develop an electrical control system to control heating Manage Phase II contract The Proposed Phase II technical objectives are: Develop extrudable zeolite-based pastes for the adsorption of H2O and CO2 Develop a control system capable of altering wire embedding frequency in both inter- and intra-layer directions to further optimize heating Demonstrate zeolite paste and wire-embedding mechanism by printing a full-scale, 10x12” cylinder with embedded wires at least every ½” with less than 5% human intervention by total print time Develop an electrical control system capable of detecting a single wire failure in an array of at least 25 wires, and compensating the current flow through the array accordingly Perform accelerated life cycle testing by flowing high-concentrations of CO2/H2O over the structures and performing desorption cycles driven by the embedded heating wires Specific Phase II deliverables include: Kickoff and Final Review presentations Quarterly progress reports, Final report Wire-embedded printed zeolite samples (size and quantity as requested by NASA, minimum of two 4x4” cylinder samples)

For NASA, the ability to 3D print adsorbent and catalysts beds that include embedded heating/cooling elements will immediately impact various applications. We see this technology making the most significant impact for NASA in space exploration where SWaP is at a premium. Given this Phase II is expected to run until mid-2025 if awarded, with an expected TRL at completion of 6, we foresee this technology making NASA debut on DRM 8a Crewed Mars Orbital (based on the technology need date of 2027 according the NASA Technology Roadmap rev. 2015) One or all of the advantages of our technology are beneficial to a variety of critical and high-value markets, including industrial scrubbers, pharmaceutical production, fuel cells, breathing apparatuses, and deep-sea exploration. For example, we have already proposed this technology for use in a small military submarine concept where reducing power consumption and size are paramount.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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