Location
Toomey Hall Atrium
Presentation Date
April 22, 2023, 10:00am-12:00pm
Description
The following research was conducted to develop a kinetic particle model, which simulates an electromagnetic sieve used for in-situ material utilization on the lunar surface. A code package was developed to simulate an electromagnetic sieve that uses electrodes to transport fine particles within a cylindrical device. Specifically, this research generates an initial working model for the sieve and tests different electrode configurations. The simulation models different electric fields generated by electrodes, kinetic particle dynamics, and lunar particle distribution. During the case study, which investigates different electrode configurations, it was determined that electrodes oriented such that electrodes located above and below each other exhibit opposite voltages, performed best. The yield of fine particles with this orientation was five times greater than the second-best yield. The results will be used to aid the development and testing of a similar real world electrostatic sieve. Similar parameters such as sieve length, diameter, and inclination can be tested to improve the real-world sieve.
Meeting Name
32nd Annual Spring Meeting of the NASA-Mo Space Grant Consortium
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Document Type
Technical Report
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2023 The Authors, all rights reserved.
Modeling and Simulation of an Electrostatic Lunar Particle Sieve
Toomey Hall Atrium
The following research was conducted to develop a kinetic particle model, which simulates an electromagnetic sieve used for in-situ material utilization on the lunar surface. A code package was developed to simulate an electromagnetic sieve that uses electrodes to transport fine particles within a cylindrical device. Specifically, this research generates an initial working model for the sieve and tests different electrode configurations. The simulation models different electric fields generated by electrodes, kinetic particle dynamics, and lunar particle distribution. During the case study, which investigates different electrode configurations, it was determined that electrodes oriented such that electrodes located above and below each other exhibit opposite voltages, performed best. The yield of fine particles with this orientation was five times greater than the second-best yield. The results will be used to aid the development and testing of a similar real world electrostatic sieve. Similar parameters such as sieve length, diameter, and inclination can be tested to improve the real-world sieve.
