Utilization of Microalgae and Regenerative Fuel Cells for Life Support and Energy Production

摘要

Human spaceflight systems for future exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit have to be at low system mass, strongly independent from resupply and reliable. The life support system and the electrical power system can achieve these goals by a common infrastructure and by consolidation of processes and their mass flows. This depends on the selection of technologies that cause different influence on mass and reliability of the complete system. This paper considers the cultivation of microalgae for food and oxygen production, as well as for energy storage tasks, and utilization of regenerative fuel cells for oxygen and water production, as well as for energy storage tasks. This approach is presented and compared to state-of-the-art technologies. The critical parameters are identified and breakeven times are calculated, as long term and far distance missions demand a detailed consideration of time dependent system mass developing. Additionally, one can benefit from non-linear mass savings due to common infrastructures for oxygen, water and hydrogen. In the last years, experimental investigations were conducted on polymer electrolyte fuel cells and cultivation of microalgae in photobioreactors at the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart/Germany. Now, this paper focuses on the critical interfaces of the fuel cell, the electrolyzer and the microalgae photobioreactor. As a first step, an engineering model for the fuel cell and photobioreactor system are represented which fulfill the requirements of a synergetic integration in the life support system. The most recent results are presented.