Duc Nguyen
Colorado School of Mines
The objective of this project is to test the capabilities of novel proton-conducting ceramics to directly convert water and carbon dioxide into methane and oxygen. This effort is directed towards Mars in-situ resource utilization. The unique properties of these proton-conducting ceramics, or protonic ceramics, could enable both the processes of electrolyzing water as well as methanation of carbon dioxide into a single reactor. These protonic ceramics are typically used as fuel cells, reacting methane and water to produce electricity. This project proposes a new application of protonic ceramics to support NASA’s Mars missions.
NASA Technology Area (TA) 7 identifies one of the challenges of exploration and human activities in space is the scarcity of readily usable resources. This scarcity is mainly due to the limitations in carrying payloads from Earth and lack of technology developed for processing in-situ extraterrestrial resources. Thus, payloads, activities, and duration of a mission in space are greatly restrained. As recognized in TA 7.1, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is an approach that could make exploration of Mars feasible and sustainable. Martian atmosphere is composed of mostly carbon dioxide, and there is water in the form of ice present. Unique properties of protonic ceramics could be harnessed as an innovative ISRU technology to make use of these in-situ resources, converting them into propellant and life-support resources. The carbon dioxide would be converted into methane via the Sabatier reaction, or carbon dioxide methanation, which requires hydrogen to react with carbon dioxide. Water on Mars would be used as the hydrogen source, after undergoing electrolysis to separate hydrogen protons and oxygen. Both processes, Sabatier-electrolysis, would occur within a single reactor utilizing proton-conducting ceramics. The resulting methane and oxygen would be available to serve as propellant for sample return missions and human transport vehicles.
The project will be executed within the scope of a two-year Master’s thesis program at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), in collaboration between the Colorado Fuel Cell Center (CFCC) on campus and Kennedy Space Center Sabatier and ISRU team. The Colorado Fuel Cell Center actively builds protonic ceramic devices for fuel-cell and ammonia-synthesis applications through DOE support. Fabrication and testing of protonic ceramics have been established over years of experience and experimentation.
In this project, we would extend these studies to CH4 and O2 synthesis from CO2 and H2O reactants. The project consists of two phases. Phase One include development of protonic ceramic cells for water electrolysis and carbon dioxide methanation, and performance characterization of Sabatier and electrolysis in reactor over a wide operating range. Phase Two, including the NSTRF Visiting Technologist Experiences, involves integration of Sabatier catalysts into protonic ceramic cells to maximize methane formation, and involves further optimization and scaling designs to meet NASA critical performance specifications for Mars missions. A computational model will be developed and used throughout both phases to help understand the internal mechanisms occurring within the cells for design optimization.