Apparatus for lunar surface helium resource extraction and verification

Abstract

This invention discloses an apparatus for the extraction and verification of helium resources on the lunar surface, comprising a sample inlet cup, a docking cup, a grinding body, a linear drive device, a getter storage tank, and a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The docking cup includes a bottom and a sidewall, the sidewall comprising a deformable section and a fixed section. The first end of the sidewall is connected to the bottom, and the second end of the sidewall is detachably docked to the mouth of the sample inlet cup, with magnetic adsorption at the docking position. The first end of the grinding body is fixedly connected to the bottom, and the second end of the grinding body is used to grind the lunar regolith sample inside the sample inlet cup. The linear drive device is connected to the bottom and drives the docking cup to move closer to or away from the sample inlet cup in a straight line. The getter storage tank provides getter to the inside of the docking cup, and the quadrupole mass spectrometer performs mass spectrometry analysis on the gas inside the docking cup. The apparatus of this invention has the capability of repeated sample injection, extraction, and discarding, as well as the capability to detect and verify extracted helium. It can utilize in-situ lunar regolith provided by the detector to conduct on-orbit experiments on helium resource extraction, detection, and other process flows.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of helium resource utilization technology, and in particular to an apparatus for the extraction and verification of helium resources on the lunar surface. Background Technology

[0002] The Moon is a celestial body with a very thin atmosphere and no magnetic field. Long-term solar radiation has injected a large amount of volatile elements into the lunar regolith, such as the useful gaseous elements hydrogen (H) and helium-3 (H). 3 Helium (He), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N). Helium-3 (H) is injected into the lunar regolith by the solar wind. 3 Helium-3 (H₂O) is one of the most valuable resources on the moon; it can be used as a material for nuclear fusion and is virtually radiation-free. It is estimated that there are [amount missing] of helium-3 on the moon. 3 Helium (H) reserves could meet Earth's energy needs for tens of thousands of years, and the development and utilization of helium-3 (H) in the lunar regolith could further benefit the planet. 3 He is crucial to the sustainable development of Earth's energy.

[0003] Helium-3 ( 3 Helium (H) is a volatile element. Heating lunar soil to around 700°C can release more than 90% of it, and then separating it at low temperatures can yield helium-3. 3 He). Commonly used helium-3 both domestically and internationally (He). 3 Helium-3 extraction involves high-temperature heating, achieved using equipment such as high-temperature furnaces, solar focusing mirrors, and microwave heaters. High-temperature extraction is extremely energy-intensive, particularly for lunar helium-3. 3 The in-situ development and utilization of resources is an unbearable burden and cannot be widely promoted and applied on the moon. New low-energy extraction technologies need to be developed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a device for the extraction and verification of helium resources on the lunar surface, in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art. By utilizing the in-situ lunar soil provided by the detector, the entire process of helium resource extraction, collection, storage, and detection can be carried out in orbit, with the aim of reasonably extrapolating to a complete system and conducting in orbit verification for long-term continuous lunar surface helium resource mining in the future.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0006] This invention discloses an apparatus for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface, comprising:

[0007] A sample inlet cup, used to contain lunar soil samples;

[0008] The docking cup includes a bottom and a sidewall, the sidewall including a deformable section and a fixed section; a first end of the sidewall is connected to the bottom of the cup, and a second end of the sidewall is detachably docked to the mouth of the injection cup, and the docking position is magnetically attracted.

[0009] A grinding body is disposed inside the docking cup. The first end of the grinding body is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cup, and the second end of the grinding body is used to grind the lunar soil sample inside the sample inlet cup.

[0010] A linear drive device is connected to the bottom of the cup and drives the docking cup to move closer to or away from the injection cup in a straight line; after the second end of the side wall docks with the mouth of the injection cup, the linear drive device can send the second end of the grinding body into the injection cup by compressing the deformed section, so that the grinding body grinds the lunar soil sample.

[0011] A getter tank is fixed to the outer side of the shaping section and communicates with the inner side of the docking cup to provide getter to the inner side of the docking cup;

[0012] The quadrupole mass spectrometer is fixed to the outer side of the shaping section and connected to the inner side of the docking cup to perform mass spectrometry analysis on the gas inside the docking cup; a valve is provided at the inlet of the quadrupole mass spectrometer.

[0013] Preferably, at least one of the inlet of the injection cup and the second end of the sidewall is provided with a sealing ring to seal the docking position of the injection cup and the docking cup.

[0014] Preferably, the deformed section is a corrugated pipe.

[0015] Preferably, the linear drive device includes a first motor, a gear, and a rack; the first motor drives the gear to rotate, the gear meshes with the rack, and the rack is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cup.

[0016] Preferably, the grinding body and the rack are coaxial.

[0017] Preferably, there is one deforming segment and one shaping segment, and the two ends of the deforming segment are respectively connected to the shaping segment and the bottom of the cup.

[0018] Preferably, the apparatus for extracting and verifying lunar surface helium resources further includes a sample inlet drive device, which is used to adjust the position of the inlet of the sample inlet to facilitate the introduction of lunar soil samples into the sample inlet.

[0019] Preferably, the sample inlet cup driving device is a rotary driving device used to drive the sample inlet cup to rotate about its own diameter.

[0020] Preferably, the sample inlet cup driving device includes a second motor and a pin, the pin passing through the sample inlet cup and keyed to the sample inlet cup, and the output shaft of the second motor being connected to the pin.

[0021] The present invention achieves the following technical effects compared to the prior art:

[0022] The device for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface, as described in this invention, has the capabilities of repeated sample injection, extraction, and disposal, as well as the ability to detect and verify extracted helium. It can utilize in-situ lunar soil provided by the detector to conduct on-orbit experiments on the process flow of helium resource extraction and detection, with the aim of reasonably extrapolating to a complete system and conducting on-orbit verification for future long-term continuous lunar surface helium resource mining. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1-Docking cup; 2-Quadrupole mass spectrometer; 21-Valve; 3-Getter storage tank; 4-Sealing ring; 5-Pin; 6-Rack and pinion. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Reference Figure 1 This embodiment provides an apparatus for the extraction and verification of lunar surface helium resources, including a sample inlet cup, a docking cup 1, a grinding body, a linear drive device, a getter tank 3, and a quadrupole mass spectrometer 2.

[0028] The sample inlet cup is used to hold lunar soil samples. The docking cup 1 includes a bottom and sidewalls; the sidewalls include a deformable section and a fixed section. The first end of the sidewall is connected to the bottom, and the second end is detachably docked to the mouth of the sample inlet cup, with magnetic adsorption at the docking position. A grinding body is disposed inside the docking cup 1; the first end of the grinding body is fixedly connected to the bottom, and the second end is used to grind the lunar soil samples inside the sample inlet cup. A linear drive device is connected to the bottom and drives the docking cup 1 to move in a straight line closer to or further away from the sample inlet cup. After the second end of the sidewall is docked to the mouth of the sample inlet cup, the linear drive device compresses the deformable section to insert the second end of the grinding body into the sample inlet cup, allowing the grinding body to grind the lunar soil samples. A getter reservoir 3 is fixed to the outer surface of the fixed section and communicates with the inner side of the docking cup 1 to provide getter to the inner side of the docking cup 1. A quadrupole mass spectrometer 2 is fixed to the outer surface of the fixed section and communicates with the inner side of the docking cup 1 to perform mass spectrometry analysis on the gas inside the docking cup 1. A valve 21 is installed at the entrance of the quadrupole mass spectrometer 2.

[0029] The working principle of the device used in this embodiment for lunar surface helium resource extraction and verification is as follows:

[0030] When docking cup 1 separates from the injection cup, lunar soil sample can be added to the injection cup. Then, using a linear drive device, docking cup 1 and its components are moved towards the injection cup, aligning the mouth of docking cup 1 with the mouth of the injection cup and magnetically adhering them. At this point, docking cup 1 and the interior of the injection cup form a closed cavity. Next, the linear drive device continues to move the bottom of docking cup 1 and the grinding body towards the injection cup. The mouth of docking cup 1 remains in contact with the injection cup and its position remains unchanged. The deformable section on the side wall of docking cup 1 contracts under compression, causing the bottom of docking cup 1 to continue approaching the injection cup, and the grinding body enters the injection cup to grind the lunar soil sample. Then, the linear drive device moves the bottom of docking cup 1 and the grinding body away from the injection cup. The mouth of docking cup 1 remains in contact with the mouth of the injection cup due to magnetic adsorption. After the grinding body returns to its initial position, one grinding process is completed.

[0031] Most of the injected solar wind volatiles are concentrated in the intergranular pores of weathered layer minerals or in mineral boundaries smaller than 100 nm. Therefore, in this embodiment, helium can be extracted by grinding to disrupt the subsurface structure of the weathered layer particles. The grinding process is repeated cyclically. During grinding, a getter is used to remove reactive gases from the grinding gas to increase the helium abundance. After grinding is completed, valve 21 at the inlet of quadrupole mass spectrometer 2 is opened, allowing the quadrupole mass spectrometer 2 to detect the gas in the sealed chamber.

[0032] As a possible example, in this embodiment, at least one of the mouth of the sample inlet cup and the second end of the side wall is provided with a sealing ring 4 to seal the docking position of the sample inlet cup and the docking cup 1, thereby preventing the lunar soil sample and gas from leaking during the grinding process.

[0033] As one possible example, in this embodiment, the deformable section is a corrugated pipe. Depending on the actual needs, those skilled in the art may also choose other forms of deformable sections, as long as they can achieve relative movement between the mouth and bottom of the docking cup 1 through their own deformation during the above-described working process.

[0034] As a possible example, in this embodiment, the linear drive device includes a first motor, a gear, and a rack 6. The first motor drives the gear to rotate, the gear meshes with the rack 6, the rack 6 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cup, and the grinding body and the rack 6 are preferably arranged coaxially. It is understood that, depending on the actual needs, those skilled in the art can also choose other types of linear drive devices such as electric push rods.

[0035] As one possible example, in this embodiment, there is one deformable segment and one shaping segment, with the two ends of the deformable segment connected to the shaping segment and the bottom of the cup, respectively. However, those skilled in the art can also choose other numbers of deformable segments and shaping segments, such as two shaping segments and a deformable segment disposed between the two shaping segments.

[0036] As a possible example, in this embodiment, the apparatus for lunar surface helium resource extraction and verification also includes a sample inlet cup driving device. This device adjusts the position of the inlet cup's opening to facilitate the introduction of lunar regolith samples into the inlet cup. It should be noted that while separating the docking cup 1 from the inlet cup using only a linear drive device can provide operational space for adding lunar regolith samples, this requires moving the docking cup 1 a considerable distance away from the inlet cup, making it unsuitable for use in confined spaces. This embodiment, by using a separate sample inlet cup driving device, shifts or rotates the inlet cup to offset the opening of the inlet cup from the opening of the docking cup 1, reducing the space occupied along the inlet cup's axial direction.

[0037] As a possible example, in this embodiment, the sample cup driving device is a rotary driving device used to drive the sample cup to rotate about its own diameter. Specifically, the sample cup driving device includes a second motor and a pin 5, the pin 5 passing through the sample cup and keyed to the sample cup, and the output shaft of the second motor connected to the pin 5.

[0038] Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface, characterized in that, include: A sample inlet cup, used to contain lunar soil samples; The docking cup includes a bottom and a sidewall, the sidewall including a deformable section and a fixed section; a first end of the sidewall is connected to the bottom of the cup, and a second end of the sidewall is detachably docked to the mouth of the injection cup, and the docking position is magnetically attracted. A grinding body is disposed inside the docking cup. The first end of the grinding body is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cup, and the second end of the grinding body is used to grind the lunar soil sample inside the sample inlet cup. A linear drive device is connected to the bottom of the cup and drives the docking cup to move closer to or away from the injection cup in a straight line; after the second end of the side wall docks with the mouth of the injection cup, the linear drive device can send the second end of the grinding body into the injection cup by compressing the deformed section, so that the grinding body grinds the lunar soil sample. A getter tank is fixed to the outer side of the shaping section and communicates with the inner side of the docking cup to provide getter to the inner side of the docking cup; The quadrupole mass spectrometer is fixed to the outer side of the shaping section and connected to the inner side of the docking cup to perform mass spectrometry analysis on the gas inside the docking cup; a valve is provided at the inlet of the quadrupole mass spectrometer.

2. The apparatus for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the inlet of the injection cup and the second end of the side wall is provided with a sealing ring to seal the docking position of the injection cup and the docking cup.

3. The apparatus for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deformed section is a corrugated pipe.

4. The apparatus for extracting and verifying lunar surface helium resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linear drive device includes a first motor, a gear, and a rack; the first motor drives the gear to rotate, the gear meshes with the rack, and the rack is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cup.

5. The apparatus for extracting and verifying lunar surface helium resources according to claim 4, characterized in that: The grinding body and the rack are coaxial.

6. The apparatus for extracting and verifying lunar surface helium resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the deforming segment and the shaping segment is one, and the two ends of the deforming segment are respectively connected to the shaping segment and the bottom of the cup.

7. The apparatus for extracting and verifying lunar surface helium resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a sample inlet cup driving device, which is used to adjust the position of the inlet of the sample inlet cup so as to put lunar soil samples into the sample inlet cup.

8. The apparatus for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample inlet cup driving device is a rotary driving device used to drive the sample inlet cup to rotate around its own diameter.

9. The apparatus for extracting and verifying helium resources on the lunar surface according to claim 8, characterized in that: The sample inlet cup driving device includes a second motor and a pin. The pin passes through the sample inlet cup and is keyed to the sample inlet cup. The output shaft of the second motor is connected to the pin.

Images