In-situ approach for thermal energy storage and thermoelectricity generation on the Moon: Modelling and simulation

Lunar ISRU energy storage and electricity generation

“…However, the Direct illumination interfaces poorly with a regolith block. 7 The inclusion of metal fins helps with the heat transfer, but the system as a whole would work better with either a different heat transfer method or a different heat storage technology. The heat engine and the cold part of the system can match well provided that the fluid used in the cold side can stand the lunar night temperature.…”

“…However, this method interfaces poorly with some of the collectors and all the thermal masses, as heating them from the top is not optimal. 7 Moreover, this technology is only applicable for the first heat transport subsystem just after the collector.…”

“…However, all these advantages are disputed by the poor thermal characteristics of loose regolith (Table 1). Adding metal fins can greatly improve thermal conductivity, 7 but it still lacks the capacity to store large amounts of energy.…”

Spark plasma sintering and optical characterization of lunar regolith simulant

“…As provided by the corresponding vendor, the Johnson Space Center Lunar regolith simulant (JSC-1A, Orbital Technologies Corporation, Madison, WI, USA) used in this work consists of a gray material, with a theoretical density of 2.9 g/cm 3 and melting point in the range 1100º -1125º C. The related chemical composition is reported in Table 1.…”

“…Thermal energy storage (TES) appears the most suitable energy storage approach for future extra-terrestrial human colonies or robotic stations. Regolith, and in particular regolith processed into solid bulks to enhance its thermal properties, is then considered the most natural TES candidate materials [2], [3]. As for asteroids, they have been identified as possible targets for In-Situ Resources Utilization (ISRU), for instance, but not exclusively, for mining purposes [4]- [6].…”