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 (gt;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