Performance of Adsorption-Based CO
2
Acquisition Hardware for Mars ISRU
2000-01-2238
Chemical processing of the dusty, low-pressure Martian atmosphere for production of propellants and other consumables will require conditioning and compression of the gases as first steps. A temperature-swing adsorption process can perform these tasks using solid-state hardware and with relatively low power consumption compared to alternative processes. The process can also separate the atmospheric constituents, producing both pressurized CO2 and a buffer gas mixture of nitrogen and argon.
We have developed and tested adsorption-based compressors with production levels appropriate for near-term robotic flight experiments, which are needed to demonstrate the basic technologies for ISRU-based human exploration missions. In this talk we describe the characteristics, testing, and performance of these devices. We also discuss scale-up issues associated with meeting the processing demands of sample return and human missions.
Citation: Finn, J., Mulloth, L., and Borchers, B., "Performance of Adsorption-Based CO2 Acquisition Hardware for Mars ISRU," SAE Technical Paper 2000-01-2238, 2000, https://doi.org/10.4271/2000-01-2238. Download Citation
Author(s):
John E. Finn, Lila M. Mulloth, Bruce A. Borchers
Affiliated:
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Pages: 8
Event:
International Conference On Environmental Systems
ISSN:
0148-7191
e-ISSN:
2688-3627
Related Topics:
Energy consumption
Hardware
Carbon dioxide
Compressors
Production
Gases
Chemicals
Propellants
Robotics
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