SABATIER
THE IDEA
The unique atmospheric and geological features on Mars allow for in-situ production of methalox (liquid methane-liquid oxygen) propellant, which would make Mars return missions more feasible. Methalox is easier to handle and store compared to conventional liquid hydrogen propellant. For example, SpaceX has unveiled plans for a reusable launch vehicle, Starship, and the accompanying Mars mission architecture, which relies on in-situ propellant production to supply fuel for the trip back to Earth. Before such a system can be deployed on Mars, a feasibility study and rigorous tests at smaller scales must be conducted on Earth.
Details
The reactor core is where the actual reaction takes place and where methane is made. It is packed with either a ruthenium or nickel-based catalyst. There is a thermocouple to measure the temperature of the gases.
In the current design, the heating is provided by a coil of nichrome wire, tightly wound around the tube and sandwiched in between two layers of exhaust tape, encased in 5 inches of housing insulation on all sides. The highest temperature we ran it to was 700-degree Celsius.
The control system is responsible for regulating and reporting all operation values. This includes the temperature of the system, the valves, and the mass flow controllers.
The MFCs regulate the mass which passes through it. Each controller is calibrated to each of the gases which are passing through it. The maximum flow rate of the controller is 2L/min.
Project Timeline
November 2019
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November 2019
This image shows the reactor housing frame being completed. This housing frame is strong enough to carry at least 100kg of weight. It is still used for the test reactor system.
August 2021
August 2021
This image shows our very first in-frame mass flow controller tests. These mass flow controllers are able to accurately control the amount of reactant gases entering the test reactor.
June 2022
The trilogy comes to an end. With plans of using ruthenium instead of the nickel catalyst, the kinetics of the code needed to be altered. It was only then we found out that the math in the code was incorrect the whole time. The simulation was corrected and validated against multiple other research papers.
June 2022
Although just a few drops of water this suggested that there was indeed methane being produced in the reactor. This was the moment we knew we made methane.
Present day
Present
Dr. Jing He at Clean Energy Research Center was kind enough to analyze our gas sample using gas chromatography. With actual direct readings of methane, we were able to confirm that our reactor was producing methane.
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