Particle-size sorting system of lunar regolith using electrostatic traveling wave |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Applied Mechanics, Waseda University, 3-4-1, Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan;2. Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan;1. Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;2. Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida, Cocoa, FL 32922, USA;1. C&MG LEOS, U R Rao Satellite Centre, Indian Space Research Organization, Bengaluru, 560 017, Karnataka, India;2. Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, 620015, Tamilnadu, India;3. Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, 620015, Tamilnadu, India;4. U R Rao Satellite Centre, Indian Space Research Organization, Bengaluru, 560 017, Karnataka, India;1. Planetary Geosciences Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States;2. Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States;3. Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States |
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| Abstract: | A particle-size sorting system of lunar regolith using an electrostatic traveling wave is developed for In-Situ Resource Utilization on the Moon to extract indispensable resources from the regolith and realize long-term exploration. The regolith is sorted by utilizing a balance between the electrostatic and gravitational forces, which are determined depending on particle size, in vacuum conditions where the particles are not subjected to air drag. In this study, the effect of particle charge on the particle motion is confirmed by conducting model experiments and numerical calculations based on the distinct element method. In addition, it was experimentally demonstrated that particles less than approximately 20 μm in diameter were efficiently separated from the bulk of a lunar regolith simulant FJS-1 in a vacuum condition (∼1.5 × 10−2 Pa), and the performance of the size sorting system on the Moon was predicted by the numerical calculations. The system utilizes only the electrostatic force, and it does not require any gas, liquid, or mechanical moving parts. |
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| Keywords: | Aerospace engineering In situ resource utilization Regolith Size sorting |
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