Combined Sub-Micron Particle Separators for Carbon Removal System

Currently, oxygen in space is recovered through an advanced oxygen recovery system, which does not fully recover the oxygen. Future missions may use technologies such as the Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) or Bosch process, both of which recover oxygen, but generate large amounts of carbon particulate (0.2 50 m) that must be removed for proper operation and crew safety. In Phase I, Mainstream developed and demonstrated a high-efficiency carbon removal system (CRS) to safely collect, remove, and dispose of sub-micron carbon particulates that consists of a 1st-stage cyclone separator that removes 85% of the particulate (focused towards larger particles), a 2nd-stage electrostatic precipitator that removes another 8% (focused towards small particles), and a final porous metal filter which removes the remaining ~7% for a total removal efficiency of 99.93% at 0.3 m and 99.69% from 0.3 m to 10 m. The CRS system was designed to operate in high-temperature steam (Bosch) or hydrogen (PPA) without issues. It is 0.1 ft3, 4 lb, and consumes 20 W of power with a pressure drop of 50 torr including all components and electronics. Phase I culminated in a final validation of operation independent of gravity (i.e., tested upside down), high loading (10 g/min), and in high-temperature steam. In PhaseII, Mainstream will iterate on the CRS prototype with our optimized computation fluid dynamics models, focus on practical carbon removal from the subsystems, and experimentally evaluate long-term CRS performance, pressure drop, and regeneration at relevant carbon loadings and operation conditions (e.g., reduced pressure, gravity, PPA, Bosch). The verified CRS undergo PPA and Bosch relevant lifetime testing and mature hardware delivered to NASA for evaluation. Oxygen in space is recovered through an advanced oxygen recovery system, which does not fully recover the oxygen. Future missions may use the Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) or Bosch process, which recover oxygen, but generate large amounts of carbon particulate (0.2 – 50 µm) that must be removed for proper operation and crew safety. Mainstream developed and demonstrated a regenerable high-efficiency carbon removal system (CRS) to safely collect, remove, and dispose of sub-micron carbon particulates that consists of a 1st-stage cyclone separator that removes 85% of the particulate (focused towards larger particles), a 2nd-stage electrostatic precipitator that removes another 8% (focused towards small particles), and a final porous metal filter which removes the remaining ~7% for a total removal efficiency of 99.93% at 0.3 µm and 99.69% from 0.3 µm to 10 µm. The CRS system can operate in high-temperature steam (Bosch) or hydrogen (PPA) without issues. It is <0.1 ft3, 4 lb, and consumes <20 W of power with a pressure drop of <50 torr including all components and electronics The goal of this program is to develop a carbon removal system (CRS) to remove particulate and enable operation of future oxygen recovery systems to extend space mission duration and long-term operations. The Phase II tasks include: Iterate and Evaluate the 1st-Stage Cyclone with Carbon Collection Iterate and Evaluate the 2nd-Stage ESP with Electrode Build-up and Cleaning Develop and Integrate the Porous Metal Filter and Regeneration Evaluate Combined System Components under Bosch and PPA Conditions Design and Build Integrated CRS and Conduct FMEA and Safety Evaluation Conduct Long-Term Life Testing on Integrated CRS Finalize Drawings and Build Mature Hardware Deliverable Specific technical objectives of the Phase I effort include: Demonstrate the CRS capable of collection efficiencies of >99.95% down to 0.3 µm particles Optimize the CRS for <50 torr drop for >24 hours and >1 week collected carbon capacity Demonstrate carbon removal from collection chambers in <5 minutes and regeneration cycle <30 minutes Validate operation for at least 1 month in Bosch (i.e., steam, 40 g/h) and PPA (i.e., hydrogen, 80 mg/h) stream Deliver a prototype system for the PPA and Bosch processes to NASA that is <0.1 ft3, 4 lb, and 20 W Deliverables include reports throughout the program, kick-off and final review meetings, all milestones, and a mature CRS device delivered to NASA.  

The developed technologies on this program are unique in that they provide HEPA-level filtration, with no consumable components and can reduce the need for consumables by 95%, all while requiring minimal increase in air pressure and a very low power consumption. This provides a direct and enabling technology for NASA for future moon and Mars missions where carbon particulate capture is necessary for full recovery of oxygen for long-term space flights and eventual bases. Mainstream sees many other dual-use applications in the industrial sector. We see the largest areas for this application in the large-scale industrial solid separation for air particulate and pollution control as well as in the specialty chemical manufacturing area, where recovery of expensive precious metal catalysts is a necessity.

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