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Sam Berkheimer, Christian Walleck ChE 350 Lunar Regolith Settlement

Introduction The goal of this project was to determine the feasibility of constructing a hemispherical lunar base using regolith as the principle insulation that is capable of maintaining living conditions of 65-75F. An insulated structure is required because of the large surface temperature fluctuations during the lunar day/night cycle due to the lack of an insulating atmosphere. The feasibility of the lunar structure will be based on the amount of regolith required to maintain livable conditions, the fluctuations of the shelters temperature during the day and night, and the other environmental hazards on the moon. Parameters and Values Given Parameters Inner radius (ri)= 30ft = 9.144m Habitable temperature range = 65-75F = 291.5-297K Regolith Properties Density[3] (p) = 1500kg/m^3 Thermal Conductivity[1] (k) = .0135 W/mK Heat Capacity[1] (Cp) = 760 J/kgK Emissivity[4] (e) =.94 Moon Properties Lunar day/night[5] = 1.18*10^6 s Surface temperature max[2] (Thot) = 110C = 383K Surface temperature min[2] (Tcold) = -150C = 123K Constant temperature inside moon[2] (Ti) = -20C = 253K

Assumptions and Calculations General Assumptions The temperature at the inner surface of the shelter (T) is equal to the temperature of the entire shelter. The heat generation associated with the human crew and machinery in the shelter is offset by the conduction of heat into the moon through the floor. The shelter is to be built on the equator of the moon so the angle of radiation from the sun does not need to be taken into account. Day Calculation During the day, the surface temperature of the moon quickly reaches equilibrium at Thot. Thot is assumed to be 383K for the duration of the day. Since Thot is constant, the layer of insulation is assumed to be a semi-infinite solid with constant surface temperature.

Where a=k/pCp =1.18*10-8 m^2/s Time (t) is taken to be the time at the end of the lunar day, t=1.18*106s because the temperature in the shelter will be at its maximum at the end of the day. For this calculation, T is set to 297K because that is the maximum allowable temperature in the shelter. Ti is set to 253K because that is the constant temperature found deep below the surface of the moon. Solving for x provides the minimum insulation depth for the day.

Xmin= .160m Repeating the calculation with a T of 291.5K provides the maximum insulation depth, at the lower boundary of livable conditions.

Xmax=.1755m This calculation gives a range of possible insulation depths .160m< x < .1755m that must be met by the night calculations for the moon shelter to be feasible. If more insulation is required at night, the day temperature will be too cold. If there is less insulation at night, the day temperatures will be too high. The Fo number is calculated to verify our assumption of semi-infinite solid.

Since Fo = .174< 0.2 the semi-infinite approximation is valid. Night Calculation During the night, the surface temperature of the moon is decreasing due to radiation into deep space while no radiation from the sun is reaching the surface. As the temperature of the moon surface decreases, the heat flux due to radiation also decreases. Since the surface temperature of the moon drops rapidly from its high Thot to temperatures close to Tcold, we will find an average flux over the night. Using figure 1[6], the surface temperature drops immediately to within 10% of the Tcold. The temperature range depicted in figure 1 is different from our temperature range at the equator so we will find the relative temperature change. 125K-100K = 25 K The temperature range in the graph = 390K-100K = 290K 25K/ 290K = .086

We will use .086 above the bottom of our temperature range to calculate the constant flux. Our temperature= (383K-123K)*.086= 13.5K +123K = 136.5K Next, the flux at the surface is calculated at T= 136.5K

Tsur is assumed to be 1K.

q= 18.5W/m2 To verify the constant flux assumption was reasonable, the max and min q are calculated at Thot and Tcold using the equation above. qmax= 1146.8 W/m2 qmin= 12.2 W/m2 The constant q calculated falls within the range, and it is close to the minimum value which makes sense because the nighttime temperature drops extremely quickly. Now, semi-infinite solid approximation at constant flux is used to calculate the insulation depth needed at night. ( )

( x=.1645m

The Fo number is calculated to verify our assumption of semi-infinite solid.

Since Fo = .168< 0.2 the semi-infinite approximation is valid. This thickness falls within the needed range of regolith thickness required by the day calculation.

Recommendation This result yields a regolith thickness for night that falls within the required day time thickness thus the feasibility of the lunar habitat is possible on a thermal level. The thickness of the regolith layer should be about .17m. This thickness is recommended because it is slightly larger than the minimum thickness required by night (.1645m) and slightly smaller than the maximum thickness required by the day (.1755m). Although the habitat is feasible we do not recommend such a design be used. Thermally speaking the range of regolith thickness is very small. If the layer was not built to the precise thickness required the inhabitants would face undesirable temperatures. Also if slight damage was done to the regolith layer catastrophe could ensue. Other considerations also render this design unfeasible. These considerations include the radiation from deep space the inhabitants would face. Because the moon has no atmosphere the regolith layer would have to suffice to protect them from the harmful radiation. For such a layer to be effective the regolith layer would have to be much thicker than .17m. Lastly such a thin layer of regolith would not protect the inhabitants or the habitat for micro-meteorites that are constantly falling on the lunar surface because no atmosphere is present to protect them. [2]

References 1. Grott, M., and J. Knollenberg. "Apollo Thermal Conductivity Experiment Revisited." . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr 2013. <http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2010/pdf/1102.pdf>.

2. Lindsey, Nancy. "Lunar Station Protection: Lunar Regolith Shielding." . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr 2013. <http://www.rcktmom.com/njlworks/LunarRegolithPprenvi2.html>.

3. "Lunar Regolith." NASA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr 2013. <http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/letss/regolith.pdf>. 4. Shrestha, Darshan. "An Emission Model for Lunar Regolith." . University of Texas at Arlington, n.d. Web. 20 Apr 2013.

<http://dspace.uta.edu/bitstream/handle/10106/126/umi-uta1407.pdf;jsessionid=1AD4571306C836CFF41A28CFA5D752DF?sequence=1>.

5. Vaniman, David. "The Lunar Environment." . N.p.. Web. 22 Apr 2013. <http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/lunar_sourcebook/pdf/Chapter03.pdf >. 6. Keigm, S., and M. Langseth. NASA Astrophysics Data System. Lunar and Planetary Institute. Web. 22 Apr 2013. <http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nphiarticle_query?bibcode=1973LPSC....4.2503K&db_key=AST&page_ind=3&data _type=GIF&type=SCREEN_VIEW&classic=YES>.