Thermochemical process and compact apparatus for the concentration of oxygen in extraterrestrial atmospheres
AssigneeDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
InventorsJosua VIETEN, Dorottya KRIECHBAUMER, Lena KLAAS, Martin ROEB
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Abstract
The invention relates to a process for the concentration of oxygen in extraterrestrial atmospheres having low oxygen concentrations, using a thermochemical cyclic process.
Claims17
A process for concentrating existing oxygen in extraterrestrial atmospheres by using a thermochemical cycle, wherein an oxygen partial pressure of 10−4 bar or less prevails in the atmosphere, comprising the following steps:
- a. generating a gas flow in the atmosphere, wherein said gas flow has an oxygen partial pressure of 10−4 bar or less,
- b. providing a redox material in the form of a perovskite in its reduced form ABO3−δ1, and oxidizing it to ABO3−δ2 (where δ1>δ2) by bringing it into contact with the gas föpw at a temperature T1,
- c. heating of the redox material ABO3, which is in its oxidized state, to a temperature T2, whereby oxygen (O2) is cleaved from the redox material, and said redox material is converted to its reduced form ABO3−δ1 again,
- where T1<T2, and
- d. again subjecting the redox material ABO3−δ obtained in step c) to step b), wherein the cooling of the redox material from T2 to T1 is effected by the gas flow.
Use of a thermochemical cycle for producing oxygen in extraterrestrial atmospheres, in which a gas flow with an oxygen partial pressure of 10−4 bar or less is contacted with a redox material in its reduced form ABO3−δ, whereby said redox material is oxidized at least partially to ABO3, and in a further step, the oxygen is removed again from the redox material in its oxidized form ABO3, whereby oxygen (O2) is obtained.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.