Contaminant Robust System for Oxygen Production from Lunar Regolith

The necessity of oxygen for consumption by human inhabitants on the lunar surface is readily apparent. NASA is pursuing several ways to generate oxygen from lunar regolith and reduce reliance on Earth for consumable re-supply. The most mature method is via hydrogen reduction. Paragon SDC proposes an innovative method for removing the problematic acidic contaminates from the water vapor compound released during the first stage of the hydrogen reduction process. This innovation also includes a subsequent high temperature water electrolysis technology that is insensitive to dissolved ions, should they persist beyond the acid scrubber. The final product of this system could essentially produce a source of oxygen using almost only in situ resources including lunar regolith (assumed to contain trace amounts of hydrogen) and sunlight. The process could be built to require very little crew interaction and is planned to be highly resistive to harsh chemical interactions. Further, the high temperature electrolysis proposed produces pure, dry oxygen making it a very appealing solution to the challenges facing ISRU programs in generating oxygen from lunar regolith.

The non-NASA applications are significant as terrestrial based applications of SOE (and its other function as a solid oxide fuel cell) also are threatened by contaminants such as sulfuric acid. The acid scrubber and SOE unit may be used in carbon sequestration and oxygen reclamation systems installed in petroleum refining plants.

The acid scrubber will remove acid contaminants from a moist stream directly received from a lunar regolith hydrogen reduction reactor. This acid-free water stream can then be delivered directly to a high temperature solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) unit to produce pure, dry oxygen. The acid scrubbing technology can also be applied to several NASA processes where water needs to be separated from methane. Specific NASA examples include down stream of Sabatier reactors used in air revitalization systems, lunar regolith carbothermal reduction systems, and propellant production systems on Mars. In all, the water is separated and sent to an electrolyzer to recycle hydrogen and produce oxygen as a consumable. SOE is currently being developed as a technology for air revitalization systems, enabling 100% oxygen regeneration from human metabolic byproducts alone. As SOE can electrolyze carbon dioxide as well as water, SOE can also potentially be used in other lunar regolith reduction systems that use carbon monoxide or methane as the reducing agent.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — 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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