Life on Mars, promoted by the Colorado Fuel Cell Center
December 6, 2024
Life on Mars, promoted by the Colorado Fuel Cell Center
The research team at the Colorado Fuel Cell Center was recently awarded a “Phase II” Small Business Technology Transfer program with industrial partner Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI, North Haven, CT, USA) to develop an advanced hydrogen generator for producing fuel on the Red Planet.
The work is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and includes development of PCI’s advanced electrolyzers that harness renewable electricity on Mars to split Martian water into H2 fuel and O2. An illustration of a tubular electrolysis cell is shown in the figure. H2O fed to the tube interior is split into molecular hydrogen (H2) and oxygen ions (O2-) using electricity derived from solar power. The oxygen ions are driven across an “electrolyte”, a ceramic membrane that enables transport of O2- but prevents mixing of H2 and O2 product gases. The electrolysis process is executed at pressures up to 100 (Earth) atmospheres (1,500 psi) using the advanced assembly on hand at Mines Colorado Fuel Cell Center laboratory. The project aims to produce hydrogen fuel and oxygen for sustaining human life on Mars. These efforts dovetail with work on In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) at Mines Space Resources Program.
Prof. Neal Sullivan serves as Principal Investigator on the project. The program is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025, and run through 2026.
