System and method for stage treatment and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and occurrence resources thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a grading treatment and comprehensive utilization system and method for lunar soil and occurrence resources thereof. The grading treatment and comprehensive utilization system comprises a water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, a particle separation and mineral enrichment subsystem, a lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem and a lunar soil solidification printing subsystem. The ice-containing lunar soil realizes water resource extraction and hydrogen-oxygen conversion in the water-ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem; the dry lunar soil enters a particle separation and mineral enrichment subsystem to be physically screened, and coarse and fine particle separation and enrichment of different minerals are achieved; the rich ore materials enter a lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem for metal smelting, and different metal and alloy materials are obtained; and the smelted residual high-temperature melt enters the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem to be subjected to solidification printing and casting, and a casting is formed. The input energy can be utilized to the maximum extent, continuous treatment of lunar soil and occurrence resources thereof is achieved, different products are formed, the overall energy consumption of the system is reduced, and an in-situ resource treatment scheme is provided for future lunar scientific research station and lunar factory construction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of lunar exploration and resource development and utilization, and in particular to a system and method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources. Background Art

[0002] Lunar regolith is the most abundant material resource on the lunar surface, containing a rich variety of oxides, metallic minerals, solar wind particles, and helium-3. The shadowed region of the lunar south pole may also contain high levels of water ice. The minerals in the lunar regolith provide a direct pathway for the in-situ replenishment of rare metals, while water ice is a strategic resource for sustained human presence. The lunar regolith itself is a foundational material for lunar infrastructure development.

[0003] However, implementing in situ resource development and utilization on the lunar surface still faces significant challenges. Firstly, the extreme lunar surface environment (high vacuum, extreme low temperatures, low gravity, etc.) presents numerous fundamental scientific challenges and technical bottlenecks for in situ resource extraction and utilization. Established theories and technologies for extracting water, oxygen, and minerals on the surface are no longer applicable. To this end, research efforts are underway both domestically and internationally on the development and utilization of lunar soil resources. For example, the physical and chemical properties of authentic lunar soil returned from lunar surface sampling have been determined. For water ice extraction, theoretical analysis, process testing, and related equipment have been conducted. For lunar mineral smelting, various technical routes have been proposed, including hydrogen reduction of ilmenite, carbothermal reduction, and molten oxide electrolysis. For lunar surface construction, 3D printing methods for lunar soil have been proposed, using various process principles, including material extrusion, direct solar sintering, powder bed sintering and melting, and photocuring.

[0004] Furthermore, to support the engineering and systematic application of lunar resource development and utilization technologies, further consideration must be given to the comprehensive processing and utilization of lunar soil and its associated resources. Due to the high costs and long processing cycles associated with lunar operations, systematic resource processing is necessary for lunar soil mining. Within limited resources and energy inputs, continuous classification, separation, and processing of lunar soil resources must be achieved. This will address the issues of redundant equipment investment and energy supply, reduce lunar soil processing costs, and enhance the economic benefits of resource conversion and utilization.

[0005] It can be seen that although relevant research work has been carried out on the development and utilization of lunar soil resources, there is no comprehensive route for large-scale and graded utilization of lunar soil resources, which makes the overall technology for implementing in-situ resource utilization on the lunar surface lack consistency and uniformity. It is urgent to establish a method and system for the graded processing and orderly utilization of lunar soil and its resources, covering the entire process of lunar soil resources from in-situ mining, water ice extraction, mineral sorting and enrichment, lunar soil smelting, and lunar soil construction, to form different products and support the construction of lunar bases and lunar factories.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to study a system and method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources to address the shortcomings of existing technologies and to solve or alleviate one or more of the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of this, the present invention provides a system and method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, which can maximize the utilization of input energy, realize the continuous processing of lunar soil and its resources, form different products, greatly reduce the overall energy consumption of the system, and provide an in-situ resource processing technology solution for the construction of future lunar scientific research stations and lunar factories.

[0008] In one aspect, the present invention provides a system for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, the system comprising: The lunar soil classification subsystem is used to perform original classification of lunar soil and obtain original icy lunar soil and / or original dry lunar soil; The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem is used to extract and convert water ice resources from the original icy lunar soil and separate the remaining dry lunar soil from the original icy lunar soil; The particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem is used to physically screen and separate minerals from the original dry lunar soil and / or the remaining dry lunar soil in the original icy lunar soil to obtain lunar soil particles with different properties and target mineral-rich materials; The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem is used to perform high-temperature smelting on mineral-rich materials to obtain high-temperature melts, low-boiling substances, and hot gases; The lunar soil solidification printing subsystem is used to cool and mold the high-temperature melt to obtain high-strength and high-density parts; Energy supply subsystem, used to provide energy to the lunar soil classification subsystem, water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem; The lunar soil classification subsystem is simultaneously connected to the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem and the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem. The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem is connected to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem. The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem is connected to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem at one end and to the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem at the other end. The energy supply subsystem is simultaneously connected to the lunar soil classification subsystem, the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem.

[0009] According to the aspects described above and any possible implementation methods, an implementation method is further provided, in which the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem includes an ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, a lunar soil feed port, a steam exhaust port, a heating component, a lunar soil discharge port and a water, hydrogen and oxygen production device. The lunar soil feed port is connected to the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, the heating component is arranged in the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, the lunar soil discharge port is connected to the bottom of the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, one end of the steam exhaust port is connected to the top of the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, and the other end is connected to the water, hydrogen and oxygen production device.

[0010] According to the aspects and any possible implementation methods described above, an implementation method is further provided, in which the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem includes a mechanical screening component and an electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component, one end of the mechanical screening component is connected to the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem and / or the lunar soil classification subsystem, and the other end is connected to the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem through the electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component.

[0011] According to the aspects described above and any possible implementation method, an implementation method is further provided, in which the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem includes a lunar soil melting and smelting pool, a smelting electrode and a molten lunar soil discharge outlet, and the smelting electrode is arranged in the lunar soil melting and smelting pool. One end of the lunar soil melting and smelting pool is connected to the electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component, and the other end is connected to the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem through the molten lunar soil discharge outlet.

[0012] According to the aspects described above and any possible implementation method, an implementation method is further provided, in which the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem includes a grouting head, a solidification mold and a heat recovery pipeline. One end of the grouting head is connected to the molten lunar soil discharge outlet, and the other end is connected to the solidification mold. The heat recovery pipeline is connected to the energy supply subsystem.

[0013] As described above and any possible implementation method, an implementation method is further provided, wherein the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem is also connected to the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem, and the tailings generated by the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem are mixed into the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem for density and strength adjustment.

[0014] According to the aspects and any possible implementation methods described above, an implementation method is further provided, in which the water, hydrogen and oxygen production device converts water ice resources in the ice-containing lunar soil into liquid water or solid ice, and produces hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis or catalytic decomposition.

[0015] According to the aspects described above and any possible implementation method, an implementation method is further provided, wherein the mechanical screening component is used to separate coarse materials and fine materials; the electric / magnetic / low gravity separation component is used to enrich different metal oxide minerals, and the electric, magnetic and low gravity effects are used to jointly enhance the enrichment and separation effects of minerals.

[0016] According to the above aspects and any possible implementation, there is further provided an implementation, wherein the energy supply subsystem includes a heating module, a power supply module and a thermoelectric conversion module, and the heating module is connected to the power supply module via the thermoelectric conversion module; The heat sources of the heating module include solar energy, external combustion heating, heat energy recovered from the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and heat energy recovered from the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem. The power sources of the power supply module include external backup batteries and solar cells.

[0017] According to the aspects described above and any possible implementation methods, a method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources is further provided. The method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources completes the continuous processing of lunar soil and its resources through the graded processing and comprehensive utilization system of lunar soil and its resources.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following technical effects: (1) The present invention discloses a method for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources. The core concept is to realize the continuous processing of lunar soil and its resources on the lunar surface, maximize the use of process correlation according to the temperature range of different resource extraction and processing, and reduce the system complexity and overall energy consumption. In the lunar soil processing process, with the continuous increase of energy input and temperature, water ice resource extraction, mineral enrichment, metal smelting and solidification construction are gradually realized. After the previous link is completed, the material grade characteristics are used to enter the next link. (2) The present invention discloses a system for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, which includes a water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, a particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, a lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and a lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem. Each subsystem can be designed based on existing technologies, making full use of existing technical methods to achieve process association, material circulation, waste heat recovery, and other links. In addition, the good solar energy conditions on the lunar surface can be used to directly power the system, or power the various energy-consuming links of the system through thermoelectric conversion, and the overall feasibility is good. (3) The present invention discloses a system for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, which can be operated in a closed manner under the vacuum environment of the lunar surface. The system is connected through pipelines to realize the circulation of materials and the collection of products, thus avoiding the low-pressure boiling phenomenon caused by the vacuum environment. (4) The present invention discloses a system and method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources. The system and method are universal and not restricted by the celestial environment. They are applicable to the high vacuum and low gravity environment of the lunar surface, the low pressure and low gravity environment of Mars, and the high vacuum and microgravity environment of asteroids.

[0019] Of course, any product implementing the present invention does not necessarily need to achieve all of the above-mentioned technical effects at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a method for hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] It should be understood that the embodiments described are only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "an", "the" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0029] The present invention provides a system for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, the system comprising: The lunar soil classification subsystem is used to perform original classification of lunar soil and obtain original icy lunar soil and / or original dry lunar soil; The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem is used to extract and convert water ice resources from the original icy lunar soil and separate the remaining dry lunar soil from the original icy lunar soil; The particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem is used to physically screen and separate minerals from the original dry lunar soil and / or the remaining dry lunar soil in the original icy lunar soil to obtain lunar soil particles with different properties and target mineral-rich materials; The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem is used to perform high-temperature smelting on mineral-rich materials to obtain high-temperature melts, low-boiling substances, and hot gases; The lunar soil solidification printing subsystem is used to cool and mold the high-temperature melt to obtain high-strength and high-density parts; Energy supply subsystem, used to provide energy to the lunar soil classification subsystem, water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem; The lunar soil classification subsystem is simultaneously connected to the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem and the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem. The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem is connected to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem. The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem is connected to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem at one end and to the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem at the other end. The energy supply subsystem is simultaneously connected to the lunar soil classification subsystem, the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem.

[0030] The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem includes an ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, a lunar soil feed port, a steam exhaust port, a heating component, a lunar soil discharge port and a water, hydrogen and oxygen production device. The lunar soil feed port is connected to the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, the heating component is arranged in the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, the lunar soil discharge port is connected to the bottom of the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, one end of the steam exhaust port is connected to the top of the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, and the other end is connected to the water, hydrogen and oxygen production device.

[0031] The particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem includes a mechanical screening component and an electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component. One end of the mechanical screening component is connected to the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem and / or the lunar soil classification subsystem, and the other end is connected to the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem through the electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component.

[0032] The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem includes a lunar soil melting and smelting pool, a smelting electrode and a molten lunar soil discharge outlet. The smelting electrode is arranged in the lunar soil melting and smelting pool. One end of the lunar soil melting and smelting pool is connected to the electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component, and the other end is connected to the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem through the molten lunar soil discharge outlet.

[0033] The lunar soil solidification printing subsystem includes a grouting head, a solidification mold and a heat recovery pipeline. One end of the grouting head is connected to the molten lunar soil discharge outlet, and the other end is connected to the solidification mold. The heat recovery pipeline is connected to the energy supply subsystem.

[0034] The particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem is also connected to the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem. The tailings generated by the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem are mixed into the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem for density and strength adjustment.

[0035] The water, hydrogen and oxygen production device converts the water ice resources in the ice-containing lunar soil into liquid water or solid ice, and produces hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis or catalytic decomposition.

[0036] The mechanical screening component is used to separate coarse materials and fine materials; the electric / magnetic / low gravity separation component is used to enrich different metal oxide minerals, and uses the effects of electricity, magnetism and low gravity to enhance the enrichment and separation effects of minerals.

[0037] The energy supply subsystem includes a heating module, a power supply module and a thermoelectric conversion module, and the heating module is connected to the power supply module via the thermoelectric conversion module; The heat sources of the heating module include solar energy, external combustion heating, heat energy recovered from the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and heat energy recovered from the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem. The power sources of the power supply module include external backup batteries and solar cells.

[0038] The lunar soil classification subsystem includes an image acquisition device and a dryness and humidity sensor. The classification process can be distinguished by transmitting images back in real time through the image acquisition device. At the same time, it can also be distinguished based on the measurement of water in the lunar soil by the dryness and humidity sensor. In addition, other water measuring instruments and other equipment can also be set up to classify icy lunar soil and dry lunar soil.

[0039] The present invention also provides a method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources. The method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources completes the continuous processing of lunar soil and its resources through the graded processing and comprehensive utilization system of lunar soil and its resources.

[0040] Example 1: like Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a system for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, including: a water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem 1, a particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem 2, a lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem 3 and a lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem 4.

[0041] in: like Figure 3As shown, the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem 1 includes an ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber 11, a lunar soil feed port 12, a steam exhaust port 13, a heating component 14, a lunar soil discharge port 15 and a water, hydrogen and oxygen production device 16.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, the particle separation and mineral enrichment subsystem 2 includes a mechanical screening component 21 and an electric / magnetic / low gravity separation component 22 .

[0043] like Figure 5 As shown, the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem 3 includes a lunar soil melting and smelting pool 31, a smelting electrode 32 and a molten lunar soil discharge outlet 33.

[0044] like Figure 6 As shown, the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem 4 includes a grouting head 41, a solidification mold 42 and a heat recovery pipeline 43.

[0045] The dry lunar soil processed by the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem 1 or the dry lunar soil mined in situ is sent to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem 2 for physical screening; the mineral-rich material after screening enters the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem 3 for metal smelting; the residual high-temperature molten lunar soil after smelting is completed enters the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem 4 for solidification printing and casting; the tailings generated by the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem 2 can also be mixed into the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem 4 for density and strength adjustment.

[0046] The heat dissipated by the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem 4 is recovered through the recovery pipe 43, and the recovery pipe 43 is connected to the heating component 14 to realize heat recovery and reduce system energy loss.

[0047] The mined low-temperature icy lunar soil enters the icy lunar soil heating chamber 11 through the lunar soil feed port 12, and the energy required for phase change extraction of water resources in the icy lunar soil is achieved through platform power supply or waste heat recovery; water vapor enters the water, hydrogen and oxygen preparation device 16 to form liquid water / solid ice, which can be used to prepare hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis or catalytic decomposition.

[0048] The mechanical screening component 21 can be used to separate coarse and fine materials; the electric / magnetic / low-gravity separation component 22 can be used to enrich different metal oxide minerals, and the effects of electricity, magnetism and low gravity are used to enhance the mineral enrichment and separation effects.

[0049] The lunar soil melting and smelting pool 31 is powered by a platform or an external power source. The smelting electrodes 32 are used to melt and smelt the rich lunar soil particles to form different metal / alloy products. At the same time, the electrolytic smelting process can produce oxygen and other low-boiling substances, which can be collected and utilized as needed.

[0050] The liquid molten lunar soil is injected into the solidification mold 42 from the grouting head 41 and forms the required lunar soil material casting after cooling; the heat recovery pipeline 43 realizes waste heat recovery during the cooling process.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention also provides a method for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources. The specific implementation process is as follows: If the mined lunar regolith contains ice, water extraction and water, hydrogen, and oxygen production are carried out within the water-ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem 1 under the low-temperature conditions of the lunar surface. The ice-containing lunar regolith is fed into the lunar regolith heating chamber 11 through the lunar regolith feed port 12. After sealing, the ice-containing lunar regolith is heated by heating components 14 or by utilizing recovered waste heat, causing the water ice to undergo a phase change and evaporate. The steam then enters the water, hydrogen, and oxygen production device 16 through the steam outlet 13. Power is supplied to the water, hydrogen, and oxygen production device 16 via the platform, achieving hydrogen and oxygen decomposition.

[0052] 2. The dried lunar soil is discharged from the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem 1 and sent to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem 2. If the mined lunar soil is dry, it is directly sent to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem 2. Within this subsystem, the particles are screened and minerals are enriched. Mechanical screening, electrostatic separation, electromagnetic screening, or a combination of these methods can be used, taking advantage of the low gravity conditions on the lunar surface to enhance material separation. This allows the lunar soil particles to be separated by properties such as particle size, density, and electromagnetic properties, thereby enriching the target minerals.

[0053] 3. The mineral-rich materials enter the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem 3 for high-temperature smelting. The platform provides the necessary heating and electrolysis conditions to achieve the smelting of metals / alloys and other materials. Oxygen and other low-boiling substances may be produced during the process, which can also be collected and utilized.

[0054] 4. After smelting, the high-temperature melt enters the lunar regolith solidification and printing subsystem 4 for cooling and molding. Since low-boiling substances are fully expelled after high-temperature heating, the cooled product has high strength and uniform density. If density and strength need to be adjusted, waste material from the sorting process can be incorporated into the cooling process to fully utilize the material. Heat is recovered during the cooling process through recovery pipeline 43 and supplied to the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem 1.

[0055] 5. The above process, following an integrated procedure, extracts water ice, hydrogen / oxygen, and metal / alloy resources from the lunar soil. Furthermore, the waste is solidified and cast into a casting solution, providing the necessary conditions for lunar surface construction. Therefore, this method and system can achieve the integrated production of water, oxygen, fuel, metals, lunar bricks, and other materials necessary for lunar surface production, providing a basic technical route for lunar factory construction.

[0056] In summary, the present invention discloses a system and method for the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources. The system comprises a water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, a particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, a lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and a lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem. Through an integrated process, water ice resources are extracted from the mined, low-temperature, ice-containing lunar soil and converted into hydrogen and oxygen, followed by physical sorting and mineral enrichment of the dried lunar soil particles. The mineral-rich material undergoes high-temperature melting and smelting to produce various metals and alloys. The smelted, high-temperature melt is cooled and solidified to produce lunar soil castings for use in lunar surface construction. This process fully utilizes the grade characteristics of the material to achieve graded and continuous extraction and conversion of lunar soil resources, maximizes the use of input energy, reduces the system's overall energy consumption, and provides a technical solution for the construction of future lunar research stations and lunar factories. The present invention's solution can also be extended to the graded processing and comprehensive utilization of different lunar soil resources on the surfaces of extraterrestrial bodies such as Mars and asteroids.

[0057] The core concept of this invention is to achieve continuous processing of lunar regolith and its resources on the lunar surface. Based on the temperature ranges for resource extraction and processing, this approach maximizes process interdependencies, reducing system complexity and overall energy consumption. During lunar regolith processing, as energy input and temperature increase, water ice extraction, mineral enrichment, metal smelting, and solidification construction are gradually implemented. After completing each stage, the material's grade characteristics are utilized to advance to the next stage. For example, under the naturally low temperatures of the lunar polar regions (-40K), low-temperature, icy lunar regolith is first mined. Water ice phase transition and water resource extraction can be achieved at relatively low temperatures (around 200K). The dried material undergoes particle sorting and mineral enrichment at conventional lunar surface temperatures, producing a mineral-rich material. Next, lunar regolith melting and smelting begins, requiring significant energy input to produce regolith molten electrolysis for the production of metal and alloy products. The high-temperature liquid material from lunar regolith melting and smelting can be directly solidified and printed, enabling lunar regolith casting and construction, avoiding the secondary heating required for separate regolith melting and printing construction. The melted and heated materials fully discharge low-boiling substances, resulting in a high density and strength after solidification. Furthermore, the residual heat from the lunar regolith solidification process can be recovered, sufficient to power the water-ice phase transition. This overall process integration effectively improves system efficiency and significantly reduces energy consumption, providing a comprehensive technical route for lunar resource development and utilization plants.

[0058] The above describes in detail the system and method for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, as provided in the embodiments of this application. The description of the above embodiments is intended only to facilitate understanding of the method and core concept of this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations in the specific implementation and scope of application may occur based on the concepts of this application. Therefore, the contents of this specification should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0059] For example, certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art should understand that hardware manufacturers may use different nouns to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use differences in names as a way to distinguish components, but use differences in the functions of components as the criteria for distinction. For example, "including" and "comprising" mentioned throughout the specification and claims are open-ended terms, so they should be interpreted as "including / including but not limited to". "Approximately" means that within an acceptable error range, those skilled in the art can solve the technical problems within a certain error range and basically achieve the technical effects. The subsequent description in the specification is a preferred embodiment of the present application, but the description is for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present application, and is not used to limit the scope of the present application. The scope of protection of the present application shall be as defined in the attached claims.

[0060] It should also be noted that the terms "include," "comprises," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a product or system comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such product or system. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the product or system comprising the element.

[0061] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein is merely a description of the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0062] The above description shows and describes several preferred embodiments of the present application. However, as previously mentioned, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the form disclosed herein and should not be construed as excluding other embodiments. Instead, the present application can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and can be modified within the scope of the application concept described herein through the above teachings or technology or knowledge in the relevant field. Modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application should be protected by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A system for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, characterized by: The system for hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources includes: The lunar soil classification subsystem is used to perform original classification of lunar soil and obtain original icy lunar soil and / or original dry lunar soil; The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem is used to extract and convert water ice resources from the original icy lunar soil and separate the remaining dry lunar soil from the original icy lunar soil; The particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem is used to physically screen and separate minerals from the original dry lunar soil and / or the remaining dry lunar soil in the original icy lunar soil to obtain lunar soil particles with different properties and target mineral-rich materials; The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem is used to perform high-temperature smelting on mineral-rich materials to obtain high-temperature melts, low-boiling substances, and hot gases; The lunar soil solidification printing subsystem is used to cool and mold the high-temperature melt to obtain high-strength and high-density parts; Energy supply subsystem, used to provide energy to the lunar soil classification subsystem, water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem; The lunar soil classification subsystem is simultaneously connected to the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem and the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem. The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem is connected to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem. The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem is connected to the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem at one end and to the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem at the other end. The energy supply subsystem is simultaneously connected to the lunar soil classification subsystem, the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem, the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem, the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem.

2. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem includes an ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, a lunar soil feed port, a steam exhaust port, a heating component, a lunar soil discharge port and a water, hydrogen and oxygen production device. The lunar soil feed port is connected to the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, the heating component is arranged in the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, the lunar soil discharge port is connected to the bottom of the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, one end of the steam exhaust port is connected to the top of the ice-containing lunar soil heating chamber, and the other end is connected to the water, hydrogen and oxygen production device.

3. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem includes a mechanical screening component and an electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component. One end of the mechanical screening component is connected to the water ice resource extraction and conversion subsystem and / or the lunar soil classification subsystem, and the other end is connected to the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem through the electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component.

4. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem includes a lunar soil melting and smelting pool, a smelting electrode and a molten lunar soil discharge outlet. The smelting electrode is arranged in the lunar soil melting and smelting pool. One end of the lunar soil melting and smelting pool is connected to the electric / magnetic / low-gravity sorting component, and the other end is connected to the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem through the molten lunar soil discharge outlet.

5. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The lunar soil solidification printing subsystem includes a grouting head, a solidification mold and a heat recovery pipeline. One end of the grouting head is connected to the molten lunar soil discharge outlet, and the other end is connected to the solidification mold. The heat recovery pipeline is connected to the energy supply subsystem.

6. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem is also connected to the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem. The tailings generated by the particle sorting and mineral enrichment subsystem are mixed into the lunar soil solidification printing subsystem for density and strength adjustment.

7. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The water, hydrogen and oxygen production device converts the water ice resources in the ice-containing lunar soil into liquid water or solid ice, and produces hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis or catalytic decomposition.

8. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The mechanical screening component is used to separate coarse materials and fine materials; the electric / magnetic / low gravity separation component is used to enrich different metal oxide minerals, and uses the effects of electricity, magnetism and low gravity to enhance the enrichment and separation effects of minerals.

9. The system for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The energy supply subsystem includes a heating module, a power supply module and a thermoelectric conversion module, and the heating module is connected to the power supply module via the thermoelectric conversion module; The heat sources of the heating module include solar energy, external combustion heating, heat energy recovered from the lunar soil melting and smelting subsystem, and heat energy recovered from the lunar soil solidification and printing subsystem. The power sources of the power supply module include external backup batteries and solar cells.

10. A method for the hierarchical processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources, characterized in that: The method for graded processing and comprehensive utilization of lunar soil and its resources completes the continuous processing of lunar soil and its resources through the graded processing and comprehensive utilization system for lunar soil and its resources described in one of claims 1 to 9.

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