Cyclone Precipitator Sub-Micron Particulate Separator

During previous planetary exploration missions, deleterious effects have been observed due to fine particulates including fouling mechanisms, altering thermal properties, obscuring optical systems, abrading textiles, and scratching surfaces. With near term goals to return to the Moon, lunar dust is of particular concern and can potentially negatively affect every lunar architecture system. To mitigate this concern, Mainstream proposes to leverage our knowledge garnered for cyclone precipitators currently being developed as a particulate concentrator for the Radionuclide Aerosol Sampler/Analyzer (RASA). This concentrator uses 32 single-stage cyclone separators in parallel allowing for 16.7 CFM with a pressure drop across the system of 1.5 kPa. Separation efficiencies are gt;99% for gt;1 mm; 96% for 0.5 mm; and 80% for 0.2 mm. For Phase I, we will utilize our existing robust CFD and in-house cyclone optimization toolset to modify the RASA concentrator geometry to better reflect NASArsquo;s separator requirements (i.e. lower volumetric flow rate, lower pressure drop). We will then design the precipitator to enhance the cyclonersquo;s sub-micron efficiency and validate performance predictions using bench-scale experiments. Finally, we will design the full-scale system to determine size, weight, and power requirements. In Phase II, we will design, fabricate, and validate a full-scale prototype.