To enable processing of regolith through focused microwave heating

 

Microwave heating of regolith is a potential pathway to heat and achieve reaction temperatures in regolith. In this study different types of regolith analogs shall be heated by microwave energy and the process shall be optimized for power efficiency. Microwave heating is considered as an effective pathway to achieve necessary temperatures within the regolith for ISRU applications. Microwave heating of regolith has been studied on a basic level by NASA and is being applied in the mining industry on high value ores to enhance e.g. The grindeability and amenability for downstream processing. The objective is to design a test bed for microwave heating/sintering/melting of lunar regolith simulants, characterize operational parameters like penetration depth, temperature and assess the efficiency with other heating methods ( e.g. Resistive heating/ solar heating...), resulting in an optimized design of a regolith heating/melting furnace