A device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources and its working method

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of lunar mineral mining equipment technology, and more particularly to an in-situ utilization device and its working method for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources. The invention includes: a mobile support unit; a solid mineral tunneling unit is mounted on the front platform of the mobile support unit, and a ore-breaking and excavating unit is mounted on the rear platform; a microwave fracturing unit is mounted inside the mobile support unit at the front; the microwave fracturing unit includes a microwave source and a waveguide, the waveguide exiting the microwave source splitting into two ends, one end connected to the solid mineral crushing unit, and the other end connected to the solid mineral tunneling unit; a solid mineral sorting unit is mounted below the solid mineral crushing unit; the solid mineral sorting unit sends the sorted magnetic iron ore and fine-grained lunar regolith to a powder mineral smelting unit and a powder tailings storage unit, respectively; the powder mineral smelting unit is connected to a smelting product enrichment unit. This invention possesses the capability for deep-seated, hard magnetic solid mineral crushing and tunneling, and can integrate multiple processes such as crushing, grinding, sorting, tailings storage, smelting, and product enrichment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lunar mineral mining equipment technology, and in particular to a device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] The lunar surface contains three main types of magnetic minerals with industrial value: ilmenite, magnetite, and maghematite, with ilmenite being the most widely distributed and abundant. Ilmenite is primarily found in lunar mare basalts, where it can comprise 25%-30% of the rock. Based on the distribution characteristics of lunar mare basalts obtained from multispectral imaging data of ejecta around impact craters, and combined with crater formation models to estimate the depth of basalt extension in lunar mare basins, a rough estimate can be made of the total volume of the 22 lunar mare basalts on the lunar surface, which is approximately 10... 6 10,000 km³. Analysis of Clementine multispectral imaging data shows that lunar mare basalts with a TiO2 content greater than 4.2% account for approximately 30% of the total volume of lunar mare basalt. Calculations indicate that lunar mare basalts with a TiO2 content >4.2% contain up to 150 trillion tons of ilmenite (FeTiO3). Ilmenite is a major source of iron (Fe) and titanium (Ti) metals. Water can be obtained through the reaction of ilmenite with hydrogen (FeTiO3 + H2 → Fe + TiO2 + H2O), which will be one of the important ways for future lunar bases to obtain water resources and is a crucial life support material. Utilizing ilmenite in lunar soil for reduction reactions to generate oxygen is an important alternative for in-situ oxygen production on the lunar surface. Furthermore, recent sample analysis studies have revealed that hydrothermal or impact processes triggered by large impact events can promote further oxidation of iron on the lunar surface, thereby locally generating secondary magnetic minerals such as magnetite and maghemite. These minerals also possess high in-situ smelting and resource conversion value.

[0003] However, existing in-situ utilization devices and methods for lunar mineral resources generally suffer from the following two prominent problems. First, the extraction targets are mostly limited to loose surface lunar regolith, volatile water ice, and helium. The existing facilities lack sufficient capacity for crushing, tunneling, and mining of lunar rocks or large rock masses with hard surfaces and magnetic minerals, making it difficult to effectively mine high-strength magnetic solid minerals. Secondly, the existing facilities have a relatively simple functional architecture, focusing on a single stage of operation, such as mining and collecting mineral raw materials. They lack integrated processing capabilities for downstream processes such as crushing, sorting, tailings disposal, high-temperature smelting, and in-situ enrichment of products such as metals and oxygen. This results in a shortage of the overall in-situ resource utilization chain, making it difficult to support the future large-scale, closed-loop supply needs of a lunar base.

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the above-mentioned existing technologies, it is necessary to study and design a new type of in-situ utilization device for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources and its working method, so as to overcome the problems existing in the existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The existing technologies described above suffer from insufficient capabilities in crushing, tunneling, and mining lunar rocks or large rock masses with hard surfaces and magnetic minerals. This makes it difficult to effectively mine high-strength magnetic solid minerals. Furthermore, existing devices have relatively simple functional architectures, focusing on only one stage of the operation. They lack integrated processing capabilities for downstream processes such as post-mining mineral crushing, sorting, tailings disposal, high-temperature smelting, and in-situ enrichment of metals and oxygen products. This results in a shortage of the overall in-situ resource utilization chain, making it difficult to support the future large-scale, closed-loop material supply needs of a lunar base. Therefore, this paper proposes an in-situ utilization device and its working method for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources. This device and method possesses the capability for crushing and tunneling deep, hard magnetic solid minerals and integrates multiple processes such as crushing, grinding, sorting, tailings storage, smelting, and product enrichment into one system, thereby promoting the efficient, continuous, and full-process in-situ utilization of lunar mineral resources.

[0006] The technical means employed in this invention are as follows:

[0007] A device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources includes: a mobile support unit; Furthermore, a solid mineral excavation unit is installed on the front platform of the mobile bearing unit, and a crushed ore body excavation unit is installed on the rear platform. Furthermore, a microwave fracturing unit is provided at the front of the interior of the mobile bearing unit; Furthermore, the microwave fracturing unit includes a microwave source and a waveguide. The waveguide, after exiting the microwave source, splits into two ends, one end of which is connected to the solid mineral crushing unit, and the other end of which is connected to the solid mineral tunneling unit. Furthermore, a solid mineral sorting unit is provided at the lower part of the solid mineral crusher; Furthermore, the solid mineral sorting unit sends the sorted magnetic iron ore and fine-grained lunar soil to the powder mineral smelting unit and the powder tailings storage unit located on both sides of its lower part, respectively. Furthermore, the powder mineral smelting unit is connected to the smelting product enrichment unit.

[0008] Furthermore, the mobile carrier unit includes a vehicle body and a wheel structure disposed at the bottom of the vehicle body; Furthermore, the middle part of the vehicle body is a load-bearing shell, which is equipped with a microwave fracturing unit, a solid mineral crushing unit, a powder tailings storage unit, a powder mineral smelting unit, and a smelting product enrichment unit. Furthermore, platforms are provided at both the front and rear of the vehicle body for assembling solid mineral tunneling units and crushed ore body excavation units.

[0009] Furthermore, the solid mineral tunneling unit includes: a rotating base, a platform, an electric actuator, a boom A, a rotating pusher cylinder, and a cutting head; Furthermore, the rotating base is installed on the front platform of the mobile bearing unit, which can drive the solid mineral tunneling unit to swing left and right under the drive of the motor; Furthermore, a base platform is assembled on the upper part of the rotating base; Furthermore, the front end of the rotating base is hinged to the middle of the forearm A; Furthermore, the electric actuator is installed at the front end of the base, and its output end is hinged to the rear end of the forearm A; Furthermore, a rotary push cylinder is fixedly mounted on the front end of the forearm A. The rotary push cylinder has two motors inside, which drive the rotary push cylinder to move back and forth, and the cutting head mounted on the front end of the rotary push cylinder to rotate.

[0010] Furthermore, the crushed ore body excavation unit includes: a rotating base, a boom, a rotary motor, a forearm B, and a bucket; Furthermore, the rotating base is installed on the rear platform of the mobile bearing unit and connected to the bottom of the boom via a rotary motor, thereby enabling the crushing ore body digging unit to swing left and right. Furthermore, the top of the boom is connected to the rear end of the forearm B via a rotary motor, which drives the forearm B and the bucket mounted on the front end of the forearm B to swing up and down.

[0011] Furthermore, the microwave-induced fracturing unit includes: a microwave source and a waveguide; Furthermore, the microwave source is fixedly mounted at the bottom front of the vehicle body, and after generating microwaves, they are transmitted to the heated object through the waveguide connected to it. Furthermore, there are two branches in the waveguide: one branch transmits microwaves to the intact ore body in front of the solid mineral tunneling unit, and the other branch transmits microwaves to the hopper of the solid mineral crushing unit connected thereto. Furthermore, a baffle is installed between the two branches to allow for branching as needed.

[0012] Furthermore, the solid mineral crushing unit crushes the broken ore body and feeds it to the solid mineral sorting unit below, including: hopper and crushing bin; Furthermore, the crushing chamber is fixedly installed in the upper part of the vehicle body and is connected to the outside of the vehicle body top through a hopper. The hopper receives the crushed ore body fed in by the crushing ore body digging unit. Furthermore, the crushing chamber is equipped with four sets of crushing gears, which, driven by a motor, further crush the ore body that has passed through the crushing gears into fine particles.

[0013] Furthermore, the solid mineral sorting unit sorts and feeds the crushed ilmenite particles into the powder tailings storage unit and the powder mineral smelting unit located below it, including: a flexible mineral processing turntable, a rear support rod, a magnetic field mechanism and a particle funnel; Furthermore, the flexible mineral processing turntable is mounted on the bottom of the vehicle body via a motor, and is driven to rotate by the motor, applying a centrifugal force to all the particles on it; Furthermore, the rear support rod is located at the rear of the flexible mineral processing turntable and is used to support and increase the angle of the flexible mineral processing turntable, thereby reducing the friction of the particles on it and increasing the effect of gravity. Furthermore, the magnetic field mechanism consists of two sets of permanent magnets, located above the front end and below the rear end of the flexible mineral processing turntable, respectively. An upward pulling force is applied to the magnetic minerals at the front end of the turntable, causing them to be thrown out of the turntable and into the particle funnel located at the front end, from where they enter the powder mineral smelting unit. At the rear end of the turntable, a downward pressure is applied to the magnetic minerals, causing them to adhere tightly to the turntable, while the lunar soil powder is thrown out along the turntable into the particle funnel at the rear end, from where it enters the powder tailings storage unit.

[0014] Furthermore, the powder mineral smelting unit obtains metallic iron, oxygen and titanium-containing molten salt through high-temperature electrolysis, and includes: an airtight gate A, a reaction vessel, an electrolyte, a cathode and an anode; Furthermore, the reaction vessel is located at the lower part of the particle funnel at the front end of the flexible mineral processing rotary table; Furthermore, airtight gate A is installed between the particle funnel and the reaction vessel to achieve sealing between the two. Furthermore, heating wires are wrapped around the perimeter of the reaction vessel, and an electrolyte is placed inside; Furthermore, the cathode and anode pass through the interface between the reaction vessel and the electrolyte, and are simultaneously connected to an external power source.

[0015] Furthermore, the smelting product enrichment unit includes: an oxygen storage module and an electrolyte storage module; Furthermore, the oxygen storage module is located at the top of the powder mineral smelting unit and includes: a gas collecting funnel, an airtight gate B, and an oxygen tank; Furthermore, the gas collecting funnel is located at the lower part of the anode and is connected to the oxygen tank located at the upper part of the reaction vessel through a metal pipe; Furthermore, an airtight valve B is installed on the metal pipe between the gas collecting funnel and the oxygen cylinder; Furthermore, the electrolyte storage module is located at the bottom of the reaction vessel and is connected to the reaction vessel via a metal tube.

[0016] Furthermore, the operating method of a device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources includes the following steps: Step S1: Based on the detection results of magnetic minerals, determine the operation parameters and operation path; the operation parameters include the operation area, mining depth, planned mining weight, and single equipment mining range; within the operation area, plan the mining path according to the single equipment mining range.

[0017] Step S2: Mining and collecting magnetic solid minerals according to the planned operating parameters and operating path; The mining and collection process of solid magnetic minerals includes the following steps: Step S2.1: Move the mobile bearing unit to the initial mining position. The solid mineral tunneling unit activates the rotating base and electric actuator to adjust the working position of the cutting head. When the mechanical sensor of the solid mineral tunneling unit receives a force exceeding a certain value, it is considered that the two are in contact. At this time, a fixed rotation speed and thrust are applied to the tunneling tool. The changes in the tool torque and thrust are monitored. According to the magnitude of the mechanical parameters, the ore body is divided into ultra-hard fresh ore body, weathered ore body and loose lunar soil. Based on the ore body with different mechanical parameters, different mining strategies are determined and implemented. Step S2.2: When facing an ultra-hard fresh ore body, microwaves are first emitted by the microwave source of the microwave fracturing unit and sent to the front end of the solid mineral tunneling unit through a waveguide to a coaxial cable. Micro-cracks, macro-cracks and spalling damage are generated on the surface of the fresh lunar mare basalt, reducing the strength of the fresh lunar mare basalt. Step S2.3: The solid mineral tunneling unit is started and returns to the initial mining position to carry out tunneling and crushing operations on the microwave-fractured ultrahard fresh ore body and weathered lunar mare basalt, thereby transforming them into a crushed ore body; Step S2.4: The device is turned around and the crushing ore body digging unit is aligned with the mining position. The crushing ore body digging unit is used to feed the crushed ore body and loose soil into the hopper of the solid mineral crushing unit. After a certain amount of minerals are accumulated in the hopper, the mining step ends. Step S3: The microwave fracturing unit is turned on, and microwaves are transmitted to the hopper through a rigid waveguide to heat the magnetic mineral granules inside, generating microcracks inside, thereby reducing the difficulty of crushing them. Step S4: The crushing chamber of the solid mineral crushing unit is started. The crushing gear rotates to further crush the microwave-heated crushed minerals into small-diameter powders. The powders flow into the mineral sorting unit through the funnel under the action of gravity. Step S5: Small-diameter powders gather on the mineral processing turntable after passing through the funnel. The turntable starts to rotate counterclockwise. When rotating at the front end, it is pulled upward by the magnetic field. At this time, the centrifugal force of the magnetic powder overcomes the friction and falls into the front funnel into the powder mineral smelting unit. The magnetic field at the rear end applies pressure to the magnetic powder, which increases the friction of the magnetic mineral and fixes it on the mineral processing turntable. Non-mineral powders will slide into the powder tailings storage unit.

[0018] Step S6: After a certain amount of magnetic mineral powder enters the reaction vessel, the unit closes the airtight gate A, the heating wire of the reaction vessel begins to heat up, so that the electrolyte reaches the working temperature, and the cathode and anode begin to be energized for electrolytic smelting; finally, oxygen is generated at the anode and enters the oxygen storage module in the smelting product enrichment unit; elemental iron is deposited on the cathode surface; while titanium will be deposited at the bottom of the cavity in the form of electrolyte and finally enter the electrolyte storage module in the smelting product enrichment unit.

[0019] Step S7: Repeat steps S2-6 to mine, sort and smelt lunar magnetic minerals at multiple locations until the set mining plan is completed or each storage bin reaches its limit.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. The present invention provides an in-situ utilization device and its working method for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources. By integrating a mobile bearing unit, a tunneling unit, a digging unit, a microwave fracturing unit, a crushing unit, a sorting unit, and a smelting unit, it realizes continuous mining, crushing, sorting, and smelting of hard magnetic mineral bodies (such as ilmenite and magnetite) on the lunar surface. The device can complete the entire process from mineral body identification, crushing, collection to mineral refining in one operation, which significantly improves the automation level and operational efficiency of lunar resource mining and overcomes the limitations of existing technologies that are single-function and can only process loose lunar soil. 2. The present invention provides an in-situ utilization device and its working method for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources. The device identifies the mechanical parameters of the ore body in real time through a solid mineral tunneling unit and uses microwave fracturing technology for pretreatment of ultra-hard fresh ore bodies, thereby significantly reducing the energy consumption and tool wear of subsequent mechanical crushing. This technology expands the exploitable range of lunar resources and improves the economy and sustainability of mining operations. 3. This invention provides a device and method for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources. Through the flexible turntable and dual magnetic field design in the solid mineral sorting unit, the magnetic minerals and non-magnetic lunar soil can be efficiently separated. The sorted magnetic minerals enter the smelting unit, where metallic iron, titanium, and oxygen are extracted simultaneously through high-temperature electrolysis. The oxygen can be directly used in the life support system, while the iron and titanium can be used for construction and manufacturing, realizing closed-loop utilization of resources. This process provides an important technical approach for the supply of materials to future lunar bases, especially in the in-situ acquisition of various resources such as water, oxygen, and metals, which has significant application value.

[0021] In summary, the technical solution of this invention solves the problems of insufficient crushing, tunneling, and mining capabilities for lunar rocks or large rock masses with hard surfaces and magnetic minerals in the existing technology, making it difficult to effectively mine high-strength magnetic solid minerals. Furthermore, the existing equipment has a relatively simple functional architecture, focusing on a single operation. It lacks integrated processing capabilities for downstream processes such as crushing and grinding of mined minerals, sorting, tailings disposal, high-temperature smelting, and in-situ enrichment of products such as metals and oxygen. This results in a shortage of the overall in-situ resource utilization chain, making it difficult to support the material supply needs of a future large-scale, closed-loop lunar base. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the solid mineral sorting unit structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the powder mineral smelting unit and the smelting product enrichment unit of the present invention.

[0024] In the picture: 1. Solid mineral tunneling unit; 11. Rotary base; 12. Platform; 13. Electric actuator; 14. Arm A; 15. Rotary pusher cylinder; 16. Cutting head; 2. Mobile carrier unit; 3. Crushed ore body excavation unit; 31. Rotary base; 32. Boom; 33. Rotary motor; 34. Arm B; 35. Bucket; 4. Microwave-induced fracturing unit; 41. Microwave source; 42. Waveguide; 5. Solid mineral crushing unit; 51. Hopper; 52. Crushing chamber; 6. Solid mineral sorting unit; 61. Flexible mineral processing turntable; 62. Rear support rod; 63. Magnetic field mechanism; 64. Particle funnel; 7. Powder tailings storage unit; 8. Powder mineral smelting unit; 81. Airtight gate A; 82. Reaction vessel; 83. Electrolyte; 84. Cathode; 85. Anode; 9. Smelting product enrichment unit; 91. Oxygen storage module; 92. Electrolyte storage module; 911. Gas collecting funnel; 912. Airtight gate B; 913. Oxygen tank. Detailed Implementation It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, 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. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention or its application or use. 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.

[0026] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. The directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0029] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "over," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation besides the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, a device described as "above" or "above" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0030] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this invention.

[0031] like Figure 1As shown, the present invention provides an in-situ utilization device for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources, comprising: a mobile carrier unit 2; a solid mineral tunneling unit 1 is provided on the front platform of the mobile carrier unit 2, and a crushing ore body excavation unit 3 is provided on the rear platform; a microwave fracturing unit 4 is provided at the front of the interior of the mobile carrier unit 2; the microwave fracturing unit 4 includes a microwave source and a waveguide, the waveguide is divided into two ends after exiting the microwave source, one end is connected to the solid mineral crushing unit 5, and the other end is connected to the solid mineral tunneling unit 1; a solid mineral sorting unit 6 is provided at the lower part of the solid mineral crushing unit 5; the solid mineral sorting unit 6 sends the sorted magnetic iron ore and fine-grained lunar soil to the powder mineral smelting unit 8 and the powder tailings storage unit 7 respectively provided on both sides of its lower part; the powder mineral smelting unit 8 is connected to the smelting product enrichment unit 9.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, the mobile carrier unit 2 includes a vehicle body and a wheel structure located at the bottom of the vehicle body; the middle part of the vehicle body is a carrier shell, which is equipped with a microwave fracturing unit 4, a solid mineral crushing unit 5, a solid mineral crushing unit 6, a powder tailings storage unit 7, a powder mineral smelting unit 8, and a smelting product enrichment unit 9; platforms are provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body for assembling a solid mineral tunneling unit 1 and a crushed ore body excavation unit 3.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the solid mineral tunneling unit 1 includes: a rotating base 11, a base platform 12, an electric actuator 13, a forearm A14, a rotating pusher cylinder 15, and a cutting head 16. The rotating base 11 is installed on the front platform of the mobile support unit 2 and can drive the solid mineral tunneling unit 1 to swing left and right under the drive of the motor. The base platform 12 is mounted on the upper part of the rotating base 11. The front end of the rotating base 11 is hinged to the middle of the forearm A14. The electric actuator 13 is installed at the front end of the base platform 12, and its output end is hinged to the rear end of the forearm A14. The rotating pusher cylinder 15 is fixedly mounted at the front end of the forearm A14. The rotating pusher cylinder 15 has two motors installed inside, which drive the rotating pusher cylinder 15 to move back and forth and the cutting head 16 mounted at the front end of the rotating pusher cylinder 15 to rotate.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the crushing ore body digging unit 3 includes: a rotating base 31, a boom 32, a rotary motor 33, a forearm B34, and a bucket 35; the rotating base 31 is installed on the rear platform of the mobile bearing unit 2 and connected to the bottom end of the boom 32 through the rotary motor 33, thereby realizing the left and right swing of the crushing ore body digging unit 3; the top end of the boom 32 is connected to the rear end of the forearm B34 through the rotary motor 33, driving the forearm B34 and the bucket 35 assembled at the front end of the forearm B34 to swing up and down.

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, the microwave fracturing unit 4 includes a microwave source 41 and a waveguide 42. The microwave source 41 is fixedly mounted on the front bottom of the vehicle body. After generating microwaves, it transmits them to the heated object through the waveguide 42 connected to it. There are two branches in the waveguide 42. One branch transmits microwaves to the complete ore body in front of the solid mineral tunneling unit 1, and the other branch transmits microwaves to the hopper 51 of the solid mineral crushing unit 5 connected to it. A baffle is set between the two branches, and the branching is set according to actual needs.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, the solid mineral crushing unit 5 crushes the broken ore body and sends it to the solid mineral sorting unit 6 below, including: hopper 51 and crushing chamber 52; the crushing chamber 52 is fixedly installed in the upper part of the vehicle body and is connected to the outside of the vehicle body top through the hopper 51. The hopper 51 receives the crushed ore body sent in by the crushed ore body digging unit 3; the crushing chamber 52 is equipped with four sets of crushing gears, which are driven by a motor to further crush the crushed ore body that has passed through the crushing gears into fine particles.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the solid mineral sorting unit 6 sorts and feeds the crushed ilmenite particles into the powder tailings storage unit 7 and the powder mineral smelting unit 8 located below it. It includes: a flexible mineral processing turntable 61, a rear support rod 62, a magnetic field mechanism 63, and a particle funnel 64. The flexible mineral processing turntable 61 is mounted on the bottom of the vehicle body via a motor, and its rotation is driven by the motor, applying a centrifugal force to all particles on it. The rear support rod 62 is located at the rear of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61 and is used to support and increase the angle of the turntable 61, thereby reducing the friction of the particles and increasing the effect of gravity. The magnetic field mechanism 63 consists of two sets of permanent magnets, located at the flexible mineral processing turntable and the rear support rod 62. Above the front end and below the rear end of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61; an upward pulling force is applied to the magnetic minerals at the front end of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61, so that the magnetic minerals can be thrown out of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61 and enter the particle funnel 64 set at the front end of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61, and enter the powder mineral smelting unit 8 along the particle funnel 64; a downward pressure is applied to the magnetic minerals at the rear end of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61, so that the magnetic minerals adhere tightly to the flexible mineral processing turntable 61, while the lunar soil powder will be thrown out along the flexible mineral processing turntable 61 into the particle funnel 64 at the rear end of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61, and enter the powder tailings storage unit 7 along the particle funnel 64.

[0038] like Figure 4As shown, the powder mineral smelting unit 8 obtains metallic iron, oxygen, and titanium-containing molten salt through high-temperature electrolysis, and includes: an airtight gate A81, a reaction vessel 82, an electrolyte 83, a cathode 84, and an anode 85; the reaction vessel 82 is located at the lower part of the particle funnel 64 at the front end of the flexible mineral processing turntable 61; the airtight gate A81 is located between the particle funnel 64 and the reaction vessel 82, and the airtight gate A81 achieves the sealing between the two; the reaction vessel 82 is surrounded by heating wires, and the electrolyte 83 is placed inside; the cathode 84 and anode 85 pass through the contact point between the reaction vessel 82 and the electrolyte 83, and are simultaneously connected to an external power source.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, the smelting product enrichment unit 9 includes an oxygen storage module 91 and an electrolyte storage module 92. The oxygen storage module 91 is located at the top of the powder mineral smelting unit 8 and includes a gas collecting funnel 911, an airtight gate B912, and an oxygen tank 913. The gas collecting funnel 911 is located at the bottom of the anode 85 and is connected to the oxygen tank 913 located at the top of the reaction vessel 82 via a metal pipe. An airtight gate B912 is provided on the metal pipe between the gas collecting funnel 911 and the oxygen tank 913. The electrolyte storage module 92 is located at the bottom of the reaction vessel 82 and is connected to the reaction vessel 82 via a metal pipe.

[0040] The working method of a device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources includes the following steps: Step S1: Based on the detection results of magnetic minerals, determine the operation parameters and operation path; the operation parameters include the operation area, mining depth, planned mining weight, and single equipment mining range; within the operation area, plan the mining path according to the single equipment mining range.

[0041] Step S2: Mining and collecting magnetic solid minerals according to the planned operating parameters and operating path; The mining and collection process of solid magnetic minerals includes the following steps: Step S2.1: Move the mobile bearing unit 2 to the initial mining position. The solid mineral tunneling unit 1 activates the rotating base 11 and electric push rod 13 to adjust the working position of the cutting head 16. When the mechanical sensor of the solid mineral tunneling unit 1 receives a force exceeding a certain value, it is considered that the two are in contact. At this time, a fixed rotation speed and thrust are applied to the tunneling tool. The changes in the tool torque and thrust are monitored. According to the magnitude of the mechanical parameters, the ore body is divided into ultra-hard fresh ore body, weathered ore body and loose lunar soil. Based on the ore body with different mechanical parameters, different mining strategies are determined and implemented. Step S2.2: When facing an ultra-hard fresh ore body, microwaves are first emitted by microwave source 41 of microwave fracturing unit 4 and transmitted to the front end of solid mineral tunneling unit 1 via waveguide 42 and coaxial cable, generating micro-cracks, macro-cracks and spalling damage on the surface of fresh lunar mare basalt, thereby reducing the strength of fresh lunar mare basalt. Step S2.3: Solid mineral tunneling unit 1 is started and returns to the initial mining position to carry out tunneling and crushing operations on the microwave-fractured ultrahard fresh ore body and weathered lunar mare basalt, thereby transforming them into crushed ore body; Step S2.4: The device is turned around and the crushing ore body digging unit 3 is aligned with the mining position. The crushing ore body digging unit 3 is used to feed the crushed ore body and loose soil into the hopper 51 of the solid mineral crushing unit 5. After a certain amount of minerals are accumulated in the hopper 51, the mining step ends. Step S3: The microwave fracturing unit 4 is turned on, and microwaves are delivered to the hopper 51 through the rigid waveguide 42 to heat the magnetic mineral granules therein, generating microcracks inside, thereby reducing the difficulty of crushing them. Step S4: The solid mineral crushing unit 5 crushing chamber 52 is started. The crushing gear rotates to further crush the microwave-heated crushed minerals into small-diameter powders. The powders flow into the mineral sorting unit through the funnel under the action of gravity. Step S5: Small-diameter powders gather on the mineral processing turntable after passing through the funnel. The turntable starts to rotate counterclockwise. When rotating at the front end, it is pulled upward by the magnetic field. At this time, the centrifugal force of the magnetic powder overcomes the friction and falls into the front funnel into the powder mineral smelting unit 8. The magnetic field at the rear end applies pressure to the magnetic powder, which increases the friction of the magnetic mineral and fixes it on the mineral processing turntable. Non-mineral powders will slide into the powder tailings storage unit 7.

[0042] Step S6: After a certain amount of magnetic mineral powder enters the reaction vessel 82, the unit closes the airtight gate 81, the heating wire of the reaction vessel 82 begins to heat up, so that the electrolyte 83 reaches the working temperature, and the cathode 84 and anode 85 begin to be energized for electrolytic smelting; finally, oxygen is generated at the anode 85 and enters the oxygen storage module 91 in the smelting product enrichment unit 9; elemental iron is deposited on the surface of the cathode 84; while titanium will be deposited at the bottom of the cavity in the form of electrolyte and finally enter the electrolyte storage module 92 in the smelting product enrichment unit 9.

[0043] Step S7: Repeat steps S2-6 to mine, sort and smelt lunar magnetic minerals at multiple locations until the set mining plan is completed or each storage bin reaches its limit.

[0044] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources, characterized in that: The aforementioned in-situ utilization device for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources includes: a mobile carrier unit (2); The mobile bearing unit (2) is equipped with a solid mineral tunneling unit (1) on its front platform and a crushed ore body excavation unit (3) on its rear platform. The mobile bearing unit (2) is provided with a microwave cracking unit (4) at the front of its interior. The microwave fracturing unit (4) includes a microwave source and a waveguide. The waveguide is divided into two ends after it comes out of the microwave source. One end is connected to the solid mineral crushing unit (5), and the other end is connected to the solid mineral tunneling unit (1). The solid mineral crusher (5) is provided with a solid mineral sorting unit (6) at its lower part. The solid mineral sorting unit (6) sends the sorted magnetic iron ore and fine-grained lunar soil to the powder mineral smelting unit (8) and the powder tailings storage unit (7) located on both sides of its lower part. The powder mineral smelting unit (8) is connected to the smelting product enrichment unit (9).

2. The in-situ utilization device for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile carrier unit (2) includes a vehicle body and a wheel structure disposed at the bottom of the vehicle body; The middle part of the vehicle body is a load-bearing shell, and the shell is equipped with a microwave fracturing unit (4), a solid mineral crushing unit (5), a solid mineral crushing unit (6), a powder tailings storage unit (7), a powder mineral smelting unit (8), and a smelting product enrichment unit (9). The vehicle body is equipped with platforms at both the front and rear for mounting solid mineral tunneling units (1) and crushed ore body excavation units (3).

3. The in-situ utilization device for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solid mineral tunneling unit (1) includes: a rotating base (11), a platform (12), an electric push rod (13), a forearm A (14), a rotating push cylinder (15), and a cutting head (16). The rotating base (11) is installed on the front platform of the mobile bearing unit (2) and can drive the solid mineral tunneling unit (1) to swing left and right under the drive of the motor; The rotating base (11) is equipped with a base platform (12) on its upper part. The front end of the rotating base (11) is hinged to the middle of the forearm A (14); The electric actuator (13) is installed at the front end of the base (12), and its output end is hinged to the rear end of the forearm A (14); The forearm A (14) is fixedly mounted with a rotary push cylinder (15). The rotary push cylinder (15) has two motors inside, which drive the rotary push cylinder (15) to move back and forth, and the cutting head (16) mounted on the front end of the rotary push cylinder (15) to rotate.

4. The in-situ utilization device for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The crushed ore body excavation unit (3) includes: a rotating base (31), a boom (32), a rotating motor (33), a forearm B (34), and a bucket (35); The rotating base (31) is installed on the rear platform of the mobile bearing unit (2) and connected to the bottom of the boom (32) via a rotating motor (33), thereby enabling the crushing ore body shovel unit (3) to swing left and right. The top of the boom (32) is connected to the rear end of the forearm B (34) via a rotary motor (33), which drives the forearm B (34) and the bucket (35) assembled at the front end of the forearm B (34) to swing up and down.

5. The device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microwave-induced cracking unit (4) includes: a microwave source (41) and a waveguide (42). The microwave source (41) is fixedly mounted on the front bottom of the vehicle body. After generating microwaves, it transmits them to the heated object through the waveguide (42) connected to it. The waveguide (42) has two branches. One branch transmits microwaves to the complete ore body in front of the solid mineral tunneling unit (1), and the other branch transmits microwaves to the hopper (51) of the solid mineral crushing unit (5) connected to it. A baffle is installed between the two branch circuits, and the branch circuits are set according to actual needs.

6. The device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solid mineral crushing unit (5) crushes the broken ore body and feeds it to the solid mineral sorting unit (6) below, including: hopper (51) and crushing bin (52). The crushing chamber (52) is fixedly installed in the upper part of the vehicle body and is connected to the outside of the vehicle body top through the hopper (51). The hopper (51) receives the crushed ore body sent in by the crushed ore body digging unit (3). The crushing chamber (52) is equipped with four sets of crushing gears, which are driven by a motor to further crush the crushed ore body into fine particles.

7. The device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solid mineral sorting unit (6) sorts and sends the crushed ilmenite particles into the powder tailings storage unit (7) and the powder mineral smelting unit (8) located below it, including: a flexible mineral processing turntable (61), a rear support rod (62), a magnetic field mechanism (63) and a particle funnel (64). The flexible mineral processing turntable (61) is mounted on the bottom of the vehicle body by a motor and rotated by the motor, applying a centrifugal force to all the particles on it; The rear support rod (62) is located at the rear of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61) and is used to support and increase the angle of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61), thereby reducing the friction of the particles on it and increasing the effect of gravity. The magnetic field mechanism (63) consists of two sets of permanent magnets, located above the front end and below the rear end of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61), respectively. An upward pulling force is applied to the magnetic mineral at the front end of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61), so that the magnetic mineral can be thrown out of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61) and enter the particle funnel (64) set at the front end of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61), and enter the powder mineral smelting unit (8) along the particle funnel (64). A downward pressure is applied to the magnetic mineral at the rear end of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61), so that the magnetic mineral adheres tightly to the flexible mineral processing turntable (61), while the lunar soil powder will be thrown out along the flexible mineral processing turntable (61) to the particle funnel (64) at the rear end of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61), and enter the powder tailings storage unit (7) along the particle funnel (64).

8. The device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder mineral smelting unit (8) obtains metallic iron, oxygen and titanium-containing molten salt by high-temperature electrolysis, and includes: airtight gate A (81), reaction vessel (82), electrolyte (83), cathode (84) and anode (85). The reaction vessel (82) is located at the lower part of the particle funnel (64) at the front end of the flexible mineral processing turntable (61); The airtight gate A (81) is located between the particle funnel (64) and the reaction vessel (82), and the airtight gate A (81) is used to seal the two. The reaction vessel (82) is surrounded by heating wires and contains an electrolyte (83). The cathode (84) and anode (85) pass through the reaction vessel (82) and are in contact with the electrolyte (83), and are simultaneously connected to an external power source.

9. The device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smelting product enrichment unit (9) includes: an oxygen storage module (91) and an electrolyte storage module (92). The oxygen storage module (91) is located on the upper part of the powder mineral smelting unit (8) and includes: a gas collecting funnel (911), an airtight gate B (912) and an oxygen tank (913). The gas collecting funnel (911) is located at the lower part of the anode (85) and is connected to the oxygen tank (913) located at the upper part of the reaction vessel (82) through a metal pipe; An airtight gate B (912) is provided on the metal pipe between the gas collecting funnel (911) and the oxygen tank (913). The electrolyte storage module (92) is located at the bottom of the reaction vessel (82) and is connected to the reaction vessel (82) through a metal tube.

10. A device for in-situ utilization of lunar magnetic solid mineral resources according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The working method of the in-situ utilization device for lunar magnetic solid mineral resources includes the following steps: Step S1: Based on the detection results of magnetic minerals, determine the operation parameters and operation path; the operation parameters include the operation area, mining depth, planned mining weight, and single equipment mining range; within the operation area, plan the mining path according to the single equipment mining range. Step S2: Mining and collecting magnetic solid minerals according to the planned operating parameters and operating path; The mining and collection process of solid magnetic minerals includes the following steps: Step S2.1: Move the mobile bearing unit (2) to the initial mining position. The solid mineral tunneling unit (1) turns on the rotating base (11) and electric push rod (13) to adjust the working position of the cutting head (16). When the mechanical sensor of the solid mineral tunneling unit (1) receives a force exceeding a certain value, it is considered that the two are in contact. At this time, a fixed rotation speed and thrust are applied to the tunneling tool. The changes in the tool torque and thrust are monitored. According to the magnitude of the mechanical parameters, the ore body is divided into ultra-hard fresh ore body, weathered ore body and loose lunar soil. Based on the ore body with different mechanical parameters, different mining strategies are determined and implemented. Step S2.2: When facing an ultra-hard fresh ore body, microwaves are first emitted by the microwave source (41) of the microwave fracturing unit (4), and then transmitted to the front end of the solid mineral tunneling unit (1) via the waveguide (42) and coaxial cable. Micro-cracks, macro-cracks and spalling damage are generated on the surface of the fresh lunar mare basalt, reducing the strength of the fresh lunar mare basalt. Step S2.3: The solid mineral tunneling unit (1) is started and returns to the initial mining position to carry out tunneling and crushing operations on the microwave-fractured ultrahard fresh ore body and weathered lunar mare basalt, thereby transforming them into crushed ore bodies; Step S2.4: The device is turned around and the crushed ore body digging unit (3) is aligned with the mining position. The crushed ore body digging unit (3) is used to feed the crushed ore body and loose soil into the hopper (51) of the solid mineral crushing unit (5). After the hopper (51) accumulates a certain amount of minerals, the mining step ends. Step S3: The microwave fracturing unit (4) is turned on, and microwaves are transmitted to the hopper (51) through the hard waveguide (42) to heat the magnetic mineral granules therein, and microcracks are generated inside them, thereby reducing the difficulty of crushing them; Step S4: The solid mineral crushing unit (5) crushing chamber (52) is started. The crushing gear rotates to further crush the microwave-heated broken minerals into small-diameter powders. The powders flow into the mineral sorting unit through the funnel under the action of gravity. Step S5: Small-diameter powders are collected on the mineral processing turntable after passing through the funnel. The turntable starts to rotate counterclockwise. When rotating at the front end, it is subjected to an upward pulling force by the magnetic field. At this time, the centrifugal force of the magnetic powder overcomes the friction and falls into the front funnel into the powder mineral smelting unit (8). The magnetic field at the rear end applies pressure to the magnetic powder, which increases the friction of the magnetic mineral and fixes it on the mineral processing turntable. The non-mineral powder will slide into the powder tailings storage unit (7). Step S6: When a certain amount of magnetic mineral powder enters the reaction container (82), the unit closes the airtight gate (81), the heating wire of the reaction container (82) begins to heat up, so that the electrolyte (83) enters the working temperature, and the cathode (84) and anode (85) begin to be energized for electrolytic smelting; finally, oxygen is generated at the anode (85) and enters the oxygen storage module (91) in the smelting product enrichment unit (9); iron is deposited on the surface of the cathode (84); while titanium will be deposited at the bottom of the cavity in the form of electrolyte and finally enter the electrolyte storage module (92) in the smelting product enrichment unit (9). Step S7: Repeat steps S2-6 to mine, sort and smelt lunar magnetic minerals at multiple locations until the set mining plan is completed or each storage bin reaches its limit.

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