Prototype Development of an Integrated Mars Atmosphere and

Soil Processing System

Michael Interbartolo IIIMARCO POLO Project Manager

NASA - JSC

• Mars Atmosphere and Regolith COllector/PrOcessor for Lander Operations

• First generation integrated Mars soil and atmospheric processing system with mission relevant direct current power– 10 KW Fuel Cell for 14 hrs of daytime operations– 1KW Fuel Cell for 10 hrs of night time operations

• Demonstrates closed loop power production via the combination of a fuel cell and electrolyzer.– The water we make and electrolyze during the day is the

consumables for the 1KW Fuel Cell that night• Planned for remote and autonomous operations

What is MARCO POLO?

• While NASA Design Reference Architecture 5.0 showed that production of propellants and life support consumables was a mission enabling capability, mission planners were hesitant to select the newly proposed water extraction from Mars soil option due to the perceived high risk associated with this approach.

• To overcome resistance in putting ISRU capabilities in the critical path of mission success, NASA ISRU developers have adopted the approach of designing and building hardware into end-to-end systems at representative mission scales and testing these systems under mission relevant conditions at analog field test sites.– In the past used large components that were independently

developed, powered by Alternating current generators and had to be manually controlled.

History of ISRU at NASA

Evolution of the Field Demo

• In May 2011 AES/OCT pulled FY12 funding for Mars ISRU which precluded our ability to attend the 3rd International Hawaii Analogue Field Test in 2012

• Team came up with plan to perform Integrated testing at the JSC Planetary Analog Site using Mars Simulant instead of Tephra from the slopes of Mauna Kea– Can still perform 24 hr operations and utilize Mission control

for remote operations– Fuel Cell consumables is much easier at JSC vs Mauna Kea

due to availability of the tube trailer

Field Demo Location Change

Programmatic Objectivescomparison

JSC Hawaii

Expand NASA and CSA partnership; Include other International

Partners in analogues

YES, nothing preventing CSA from participating

YES

Expand integration of Science & Engineering for exploration, particularly with ISRU

YES continue JSC & KSC institutional ISRU development

YES

Utilize analog activities and operations to develop and enhance mission concepts and integrate new technologies; Improve remote operations and control

YES, YES

Evaluate parallel paths and test hardware under stressful environmental conditions to evolve TRL and improve path to flight

YES YES

Be synergistic with other analogue test activities (past and future) YES YES

Public Outreach, Education, and “Participatory Exploration” YES, could invite local schools to provide excavators

YES

Technical Objectives Comparison

JSC Hawaii

Perform early deployment of advanced and “Game Changing” technologies applicable to multiple destinations before integration into future missions.

YES YES

Increase the fidelity and scope of surface system element integration and operations; continue development and integration of “Space Resource Utilization Mining Cycle“

YES YES

Develop and enhance exploration operation mission concepts YES YES

Improve remote operations & control of hardware for surface exploration and

science

YES YES

Promote use of common software, interfaces, & standards for control and operation YES YES

Focus on interfaces, standards, and requirements YES YES

Focus on modularity and ‘plug n play’ integration YES YES

Lander at Critical Design Review

M. Interbartolo

Atmo Processing Module:•CO2 capture from Mixed Mars atmosphere (KSC)•Sabatier converts H2 and CO2 into Methane and water (JSC)

Water Processing Module: (JSC)•Currently can process 520g/hr of water (max 694 g/hr)

1KW Fuel Cell and consumable storage (JSC & GRC)•Using metal hydride for H2 storage due to available•1KW No Flow Through FC (GRC)•10KW FC not shown (JSC)

Liquefaction Module: (TBD)•Common bulkhead tank for Methane and Oxygen liquid storage

Soil Processing Module:•Soil Hopper handles 30kg (KSC)•Soil dryer uses CO2 sweep gas and 500 deg C to extract water (JSC)

C&DH/PDU Module: (JSC)•Central executive S/W•Power distribution

Water Cleanup Module: (KSC)•Cleans water prior to electrolysis•Provides clean water storage

Life Detection Drill: (ARC-Honeybee) •Replaces excavator mockup•Takes core samples•Provides some feed to Soil Dryer

3m x 3m octagon lander deck

Atmospheric Processing Module

MethaneDryer

Sabatier

MethaneSeparator

CO2 Freezer

Chiller

Mixed Mars Input

Atmospheric Processing Module

CO2 ballast tanks not shown

Atmospheric Processing Operations

Mars Mix

CO2 freezer

Sabatier Reactor(~600 deg C)

Condenser

CH4/H2

SeparatorCH4

Dryer

CH4

storage

88 g/hr CO2

@ 50 PSI

95% CO2, 3% N2, 2% Ar at 10.8 mbar

71.3 g/hr H2O31.7 g/hr CH4

2 g/hr H2

H2OCH4

H2

H2O

16.2 g/hr H2

H2OCH4

CH4

H2O

Electrolysis Stacks

CO2 freezer

2 g/hr H2

Water Processing Module

Water Cleanup Module

Ballast tank

Ballast tank

CO2 Freezer Test Stand

•Several designs of the cold head have been tested

• Ferris wheel design produces the best CO2 for the surface area to mass ratio

• Using a cryocooler to reach the needed 150K (-123C/-190F) at 8 mbar

•Settled on 85 minute cycles of freezing/sublimation to meet the needed 88 grams/hour for the Sabatier Reactor•Will use ballast tanks to capture the CO2 after sublimation to then feed the Sabatier at 50 psi

Sabatier Test Stand•Testing determined that 4.5:1 ratio of H2 to CO2 was optimum for the reaction with the ruthenium catalyst•Uses cold ice bath for condensing instead of the Water Cleanup module•Methane separator is not functional

• Could not keep up with flow rate• Looked at using electrolyzer stack to act as

hydrogen separator, but proved unstable• Could not find replacement COTS version

• Looked into potential of hollow membrane system

•Cryocart team was okay with hydrogen/methane mix

• Would improve thruster performance• They can vent off hydrogen bubble from

methane dewar since it would not liquefy

Soil Processing Module

• SPM Consists of: – Feed System– Dryer System (Dryer + Fluid System)– Electronics/Power

• Objective:– Transfer simulant/soil/regolith – Process simulant/soil/regolith to liberate

water

• Process Overview:– Excavators deposit soil into a hopper– Hopper transfers soil into the dryer– Dryer heats soil and sweeps water into

condenser– Process repeats

Soil Processing Module

FEED SYSTEM

DRYER

DRYER BOP & ELECTRONICS

Soil Processing Module Concept of Operations

SOIL PROCESSING MODULE

FEED SYSTEM

DRYERSYSTEM

WATER CLEANUP MODULE

SOIL COLLECT/ TRANSPORT SOIL

H2O + Sweep Gas

Sweep Gas

18oC < T < 45oC10 psia < P < 14.7 psia

2” Tube @ 0.813 m (32 in)

75oC < T < 110oC5 psig < P < 20 psig¼” Tube @ 0.726 m (30 in)

5 psig < P < 20 psig 15oC < T < 30oC¼” Tube @ any height

18oC < T < 45oC10 psia < P < 14.7 psia

Ground Level

DAQ POWER

DAQ MAIN PDU

SOILSOIL

Three tests to date using Sandman and JSC-Mars-1A Simulant (Batch Size: 6 kg)

Simulant Processing Time (hrs)

Simulant Processing Time (min)

Total Batch Time (min)

Number of Batches per

Day

Water per Batch

(g)

Total Water/Day

(g)1.5 90 2 7 66 4652 120 2.5 6 241 1349

2.5 150 3 5 388 17873 180 3.5 4 512 2050

3.5 210 4 4 616 21564 240 4.5 3 703 2178

4.5 270 5 3 775 21715 300 5.5 3 838 2094

5.5 330 6 2 892 20526 360 6.5 2 943 1980

6.5 390 7 2 992 19857 420 7.5 2 1044 1880

7.5 450 8 2 1102 18738 480 8.5 2 1168 1870

• If dryer feedstock is 6 kg unspent JSC-Mars-1A, operating temperature ~115oC, flow rate ~10 slpm, & pressure ~25 psia

– 3 batches/day (4 hours for processing, 0.5 hours for feed/unload)– ~700 g of water/batch → ~ 2100 g of water/day

(hrs)

– MWE-001: Heated to 500oC• Flow Rate: 20 slpm• Pressure: ~25 psia

– MWE-002: Heated to ~120oC, then ~220oC

• Flow Rate: ~10 slpm• Pressure: ~25 psia

– MWE-003: Not heated, then heated to ~120oC• Flow Rate: ~10 slpm• Pressure: ~25 psia

TEST SETUP

Water Cleanup Module

Water Cleanup Module

Membrane

Clean Water Tank

Dirty Water Tank

Liquid-Liquid HExDI Resin

Condenser

Gas-Gas HEx

Gas-Gas HEx

Freon Reservoir

Coolant Reservoir

Water Clean Up Operations

Water Cleanup

Water/CO2 Inlet

Deionizer Clean water outlet

H2/CH4 Outlet

Fuel Cell Water inlet

Water storage tank

CO2 Outlet

Water/CH4/H2 Inlet

Dirty Water tank

Condenser

Soil Processing Module:• Inlet:

• Up to 20slpm H2O/CO2• ~50psig• ~200degC

• Outlet:• Up to 20slpm CO2-trace H2O• ~45psig (expected pressure drop of 5 psi)• ~5degC

Atmospheric Processing Module:• Inlet:

– ~3 slpm (up to 5slpm) CH4/H2O/trace CO2-H2

– ~50psig– ~200degC

• Outlet:– ~2slpm CH4/trace H2O/trace CO2-

H2– ~48psig (expected pressure drop of

1-2 psi)– ~5degC

Water Processing Module:• Outlet:

• Up to 170ml/min• 85 psig max• 25degC

Water Transfer Plan• Water will be transferred three times a day at approximately 4.5 hrs, 9.0hrs, and 13.5hrs

– Transfer times were used to maintain water level above level sensor immeasurable region and below the separator tank capacity

– Separator tanks will be full and ready for operation at the beginning of each day– No water transfer into the system overnight required

Water Cleanup Module

Water Processing Module

Water Processing Module

Water Processing Module

O2 Drying

H2 Drying

Fork Lift Spaces

Water Loops

Electrical Components/CRIO

Access Doors

Water Processing Operations

Deionizer Hydrogen Dryer

Oxygen Dryer

Hydrogen Outlet

Oxygen OutletCompact Rio

Control Node

Water inlet

Electrolyzer Stacks

H2 Sep Tank

O2 Sep Tank

•Processing 522 g/hr of water @ 3KW of power (max is 695 g/hr @~5KW)•Maximum pressure: 400psig•Temperature range: 5-65°C •Water flow rate range: 3.6-12 LPM/stack•Gas flow rates range:

• H2: 5.4-7.2 SLPM/stack• O2: 2.7-3.6 SLPM/stack

2nd Generation Electrolyzer System

Power Production and storage

•1KW shown•10KW not shown•O2 storage under the lander

Power Production

10KW Fuel Cell (117 cells): Advanced Passive-Flow-Through (PFT) with Ejector/Regulator technology

1KW Fuel Cell (32 cells): Advanced Passive-Flow-Through (PFT) with Ejector/Regulator technology

1KW Fuel Cell (40 cells): Non-Flow-Through (NFT) technology demonstration

Differences between a flow-through and non-flow-through fuel cell system

Power Distribution and Software

Power Distribution

ESTA Modular PDU design

3 200A High Power Distribution Unit (HPDU) 1 50 A Medium Power Distribution Unit (MPDU) 1 7.5A Low Power Distribution Unit (LPDU) Data and Control Unit (lab view controlled) Diode and Fuse box

HPDU

HPDUHPDU

Fuel cell

Ground Power

MPDU

16 channels 50A

LPDU

16 channels 7.5A

High Power Loads

High Power Loads

Fuel cell

Medium Power Loads

Low Power Loads

• Distributed, embedded command, control and communications architecture

• Uses National Instruments CompactRioTM as control node for each module– This will allow for standalone testing as well as

facilitate integrated remote operations• LabVIEWTM will provide the Human/System

Interface

Software

• Hawaii was ruled out last summer with the loss of AES/OCT support• JSC Rockyard was cancelled in January due to insufficient funds to complete

the project– Soil Processing Module not built

• leveraged the Sandman test rig for Mars soil data– Atmospheric Module not built

• CO2 Freezer test stand and Sabatier test stands built– Lander structure not built

• Currently working towards Regen Fuel Cell demonstration with the MMSEV– Will use the core Water Clean up and Water Processing Modules as well as the

PDUs to demonstrate a refueling depot that the MMSEV periodically docks with for resupply

• Long Term Goal to continue to refine the ISRU technologies for potential 2018 robotic mission using a SpaceX ‘Red Dragon’ capsule as part of an Ames lead science effort.

Current Status

MMSEV Demo Concept

Water Processing

Module

Water Clean up Module

Active Umbilical

Plate

Passive Umbilcal

Plate

3KW PFT Fuel Cell

O2 Tank

H2 Tank

Refueling station

Waterstorage

MMSEV PUP

KSC provided Umbilical plates

10KW Fuel Cell

Diode Fuse Box

PDUs distributing power (3HPDU, 1 C&DH)

MMSEV

Any Questions?Ultimate Destination - Mars

Follow us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/NASA.ISRU

BACKUP

CO2 Freezer DevelopmentRequirement: 88 g CO2/hr @ 50 psia

Based on Lockheed6” fins~5 g/hr

Cold tip + 1x3/4” rod~60 g/hr

Cold tip + 1x3/4” rod + Al fins~20 g/hr

2x2.5” machined fins~35 g/hr

CO2 Freezer Testing

1.00 1.10 1.20 1.30 1.40 1.50 1.6056.0%

58.0%

60.0%

62.0%

64.0%

66.0%

68.0%

70.0%

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

Optimization of Mars Gas Simulant Flow Rate for Ferris Wheel (#2) Configuration Coldhead Design

CO2 Flow Rate (L/min) vs % CO2 Capture Efficiency CO2 Flow Rate (L/min) vs CO2 Collection Rate (g/hr)CO2 Flow Rate (L/min)

% CO2 Capture Efficiency

CO2 Collection Rate (g/hr)

4.00 4.04 4.10 4.15 4.20 4.2592.00%

93.00%

94.00%

95.00%

96.00%

97.00%

98.00%

99.00%

100.00%

Comparison of H2/CO2 Ratio to Reactor EfficiencyRuns 20, 22-26

Reac

tor E

ffici

ency

4.00 4.05 4.10 4.15 4.20 4.25 4.30 4.35 4.40 4.45 4.50

H2/CO2 Ratio

Literature shows that the reaction should have an efficiency greater than 99% when the mole ratio is higher than 4.51

Sabatier TestingMixture Ratio vs. Reactor Efficiency

WCM Build Up

WCM TestingNafion membrane thickness vs. temperature

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 50.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

0.025

0.030

0.035

254um - 20C 254um - 80C 51um - 20C

51um - 80C

Nitrogen Flow Rate (L/min)

Wat

er F

lux

(g/c

m2-

min

)

51 m – 20C

Temperature and membrane thickness effect on water flux versus dry nitrogen flow on the permeate side

WCM testingContamination(chlorine and fluorine) rejection vs. flow

rate and membrane thickness

Ion rejection (i.e., ion in retentate) as a function gas flow rate for two membrane thickness

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 560

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

51um thickness, Cl-

254um thickness, Cl-

51um thickness, F-

254nm thickness, F-

Nitrogen Flow Rate (L/min)

Ion

Reje

ction

(%)

51 m thickness, Cl-

254 m thickness, Cl-

51 m thickness, F-

Separator Tanks

Air/Liquid HX

Electrolysis Stacks ( 12-cell liquid-anode feed)

DI Beds

Back Pressure Regulators

Sight Glass

Gas Drying

Desiccant Beds

Motorized Ball Valves

Desiccant Beds

Solenoid Valves

Purge Lines

Sweep Gas Vent Lines

Water Loops

WPM detailed CAD

WPM testingRegenerative Dryer concepts

Media Date Gas FR Type of regeneration Energy Heat Up At Temp Cool Down Total Time H2O Removed Amt desiccant N2 RqdSLPM watt-hrs min min min min g g g

Drierite - Du-Cal 5/6/2011 5 N2 Sweep Gas 121.1 32.9 58.3 63.5 154.8 7.7 109.8 569.9Drierite - Du-Cal 5/5/2011 5 N2 Sweep Gas 80.4 27.4 29.4 65.4 122.3 2.7 109.8 355.0Drierite - Du-Cal 5/3/2011 5 N2 Sweep Gas 52.6 28.7 5.5 64.7 98.8 0.4 109.8 213.4Drierite - Du-Cal 4/25/2011 - N2 Sweep Gas 73.6 26.6 23.5 74.9 125.0 3.3 111.0 312.8

average = 81.9 28.9 29.2 67.1 125.2 3.5 110.1 362.8stdev= 28.7 2.8 21.9 5.3 22.9 3.1 0.6 150.3

Drierite - Du-Cal 4/22/2011 - Vacuum 601.0 23.8 59.7 86.3 169.8 3.7 109.0 -Drierite - Du-Cal 5/5/2011 - Vacuum 818.1 24.9 89.3 62.5 176.7 1.9 109.8 -Drierite - Du-Cal 5/3/2011 - Vacuum 525.8 25.8 46.8 47.3 120.0 1.4 109.8 -

average = 648.3 24.9 65.3 65.4 155.5 2.3 109.5 -stdev= 151.8 1.0 21.8 19.6 30.9 1.2 0.5 -

Drierite - Du-Cal 4/12/2011 - Vent 125.8 62.6 27.2 75.6 165.3 0.4 109.0 -Molecular Sieve 13X 4/27/2011 1->5 N2 Sweep Gas 312.5 35.0 239.6 84.0 358.6 7.9 69.1 1715.0Molecular Sieve 13X 4/29/2011 5 N2 Sweep Gas 142.1 63.0 19.9 70.5 153.4 3.7 69.1 517.9Molecular Sieve 13X 5/2/2011 5 N2 Sweep Gas 177.4 79.0 28.1 63.5 170.6 9.4 69.1 668.8

average = 159.7 71.0 24.0 67.0 162.0 6.6 69.1 593.4stdev= 24.9 11.3 5.8 4.9 12.1 4.0 0.0 106.7

Molecular Sieve 13X 4/26/2011 - Vacuum 607.2 38.6 43.5 73.6 155.7 5.1 71.7 -Molecular Sieve 13X 4/28/2011 - Vacuum 794.8 44.7 60.8 63.2 168.7 11.3 69.1 -Molecular Sieve 13X 4/29/2011 - Vacuum 623.9 31.5 52.1 64.8 148.3 1.2 69.1 -

average = 675.3 38.3 52.1 67.2 157.6 5.9 70.0 -stdev= 103.8 6.6 8.7 5.6 10.3 5.1 1.5 -

Soil Dryer Up close

• Design Details– Single Batch Processor– 60o Conical Chamber (From Horizontal)– Helical Agitator– Blanket External Heater – Internal Heaters– Simulant Enters/Exit through Valves– Gas Flow into Bottom through Top– Max Simulant Temperature: 500oC– Max Vessel Pressure: 20 psig

• Mass: 100 kg (220 lbs)

• Vessel Volume: 15863 cm3 (968 in3)

12.4”

17.1”

44.9”

18.0”11.5”

Command, control and communications architecture showing local control nodes and remote user interface

stations.