Feed and Removal of Regolith for Oxygen Extraction

Blueshift, LLC d/b/a Outward Technologies proposes to continue development of the Feed and Removal of Regolith for Oxygen Extraction (FaRROE) system. FaRROE enables the transfer of regolith from excavators to within a lunar oxygen extraction reactor, and the transfer of processed regolith from the reduction reactor to a holding hopper or the lunar surface. The system incorporates noncontact temperature measurements of the regolith within the reactor using a 2-color pyrometer to monitor regolith phase change and temperatures up to and exceeding 2,000 C. The innovative design of the FaRROE system incorporates non-mechanical valves at the reactor inlet and outlet to enable the continuous feed of regolith into and out of an enclosed reactor at high processing rates (25 kg/hr) with no moving parts coming into contact with the regolith. Sealing of the reactor inlet is produced through a vertical tube hopper packed with unprocessed regolith, creating a tortuous path for product gases and preventing their escape from the reactor chamber. An extrusion nozzle at the reactor outlet enables the controlled removal of processed regolith and formation of a liquid seal preventing the escape of product gases. Utilizing unprocessed and processed regolith as the sealing mechanisms reduces mass, complexity, and likelihood of mechanical failure of the system. The extraction of oxygen is monitored through two redundant systems to measure oxygen production rate, system efficiency, and leak rate. Mineral-oxide content is measured continuously at the unprocessed inlet feed and processed outlet feed. The oxygen and/or other product gases generated within the reactor are monitored through in-line gas analysis. FaRROE may be integrated with every known high-temperature oxygen extraction method for regolith to enable continuous processing at high feed rates through a lightweight, durable design to ensure long-term continuous operation in the harsh lunar environment FaRROE consists of a regolith feed and removal system incorporating non-mechanical valves at the inlet and outlet of an oxygen extraction reactor that enables a continuous process. The sealing of the reactor inlet is achieved through a novel vertical tube hopper creating a tortuous path preventing gas flow. The sealing of the reactor outlet is achieved through an outlet extrusion nozzle forming a liquid seal with processed molten regolith. Additional innovation comes from noncontact process monitoring of the system by continuous measurement of mineral-oxide content of unprocessed and processed regolith streams, and temperature monitoring within the reaction zone. Fine control over processing rates is enabled by varying the temperature of the extrusion nozzle to start/stop and adjust flowrate. These innovations represent a substantial improvement to SOTA designs for lunar oxygen extraction reactors which lack a means of moving regolith into and out of the oxygen extraction zone, thereby enabling high production rates of oxygen from regolith using lightweight, durable hardware. In Phase I, initial feasibility of FaRROE was established through a low fidelity system demonstrating basic functionality to advance the technology from TRL 3 to 4. In Phase II, a medium fidelity system will be designed, built, and tested with realistic support elements in a relevant vacuum environment to raise TRL from 4 to 5. This will be accomplished by meeting the following technical objectives: Produce functional medium fidelity prototype with modular design to evaluate a wide range of process parameters tailored to match known high-temperature processes for extracting oxygen from regolith Characterize prototype performance in terms of feed rate, leak rate of product gases from the reactor chamber, accuracy and precision of noncontact process measurements, and start/stop capabilities Demonstrate system functionality at a target processing rate of 250 g/hr and up to 1,000 g/hr. Establish feasibility of FaRROE’s design for integration with four different oxygen extraction processes (i.e. hydrogen reduction, carbothermal reduction, molten regolith electrolysis, vacuum pyrolysis) Integrate the prototype with a vacuum pyrolysis oxygen extractor provided by subcontractor Terraxis Develop full-scale system designs for each of the above-mentioned oxygen extraction processes Define the necessary technology development roadmap for FaRROE beyond Phase II

FaRROE addresses the limitations of current designs of lunar oxygen extraction reactors which lack a means to move regolith into and out of the oxygen extraction zone. These enabling capabilities address the needs of NASA TX07.1 In-Situ Resource Utilization through the improved production of oxygen from lunar regolith and TX07.2 Mission Infrastructure, Sustainability, and Supportability through the utilization of molten slag in a host of secondary processes including 3D printing and casting of structural members on the Moon. Potential non-NASA applications include the commercial production of oxygen and glass-ceramic regolith parts and structures on the Moon. Other non-NASA applications include the improved design of non-mechanical valves for high-temperature industrial processes on Earth incorporating a pressure differential between the reactor and the inlet and outlet feeds.

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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