SBIR-STTR Award

Molten oxide electrolysis is a demonstrated laboratory-scale process for producing oxygen from the JSC-1a lunar simulant; however, critical subsystems necessary for a larger-scale, lunar-ready reactor must be further developed to increase technology readiness. An enabling technology of the MOE system that must be scaled is the iridium inert anode. Iridium, a proven inert anode in the process, is expensive, scarce, extremely dense, and difficult to fabricate. Electrolytic Research Corporation will develop a larger-scale anode optimized for cost, weight, material availability, and manufacturability. ERC proposes an optimized iridium-based alloy or composite anode using electrochemical and thermophysical materials selection criteria validated with experiments (electrolysis testing) and modeling. The iridium alloy and composite screening will generate results necessary for Phase 2, where a surface engineered, multi-layer anode will be designed that includes either a refractory-metal or carbon substrate, a conductive diffusion-barrier inner layer, and an iridium outer layer. Completion of the work will greatly enhance the technology readiness level of the NASA molten oxide electrolysis in-situ resource utilization program.

Molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) is a demonstrated laboratory-scale process for producing oxygen from JSC-1A and other lunar simulants; however, the technological readiness of critical subsystems must be improved before a flight-ready reactor can be built. In Phase 1 experimentation, scaleable iridium and iridium-alloy anodes demonstrated a capability for generating more than 1 L of oxygen from a silicate melt. The use of external heaters in the lab-scale cell imposed severe limitations on its performance, which constrained the duration and the rate of oxygen production in these experiments. Based on the successful Phase 1 results and the demonstrated need for a robust, long-duration, larger-scale electrolysis cell, ERC proposes a plan for the design, construction and demonstration of a reactor capable of producing oxygen at a rate of 1 kg/day or more. A self-heating cell is critical for resolving reactor containment issues, and a critical innovation will allow this to be realized at much smaller scales than those previously required with other electrolytic processes. Successful demonstration will greatly enhance the technology readiness level of molten oxide electrolysis for oxygen generation by means of in-situ resource utilization.