Proposal # X9.01-8721
ISRU Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) as a low-energy,
high-performance metals extraction and fabrication substitute for
Heavy Industries in support of Manned Exploration.
Galactic Mining Industries, Inc. // sysRand Corporation
Denver, Colorado 80212-2922 719-930-3161
spaceguy2008@aol.com
www.space-mining.com
www.sysrand.com
Phase 1 Proposal
Parts:
- Table
of Contents
–
1
- Identification
and Significance of the Innovation – 1
- Technical
Objectives
– 6
- Work
Plan
– 7
- Related
R/R&D
– 9
- Key
Personnel and Bibliography of Directly Related Work –
10
- Relationship
with Phase 2 or Future R/R&D – 16
- Company
Information and Facilities
– 18
- Subcontracts
and Consultants
– 18
- Potential
Post Applications
– 19
11. Similar
Proposals and Awards -- 19
12. Letter of
Commitment from sysRand
-- 20
13. Letter of
Commitment from
Part 2: Identification and Significance of the
Innovation -
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is the key enabler
of future space travel and space exploration and colonization. It is essential
to use materials indigenous to the Moon to build and support exploration
missions, Moon bases and other space infrastructure construction programs.
Present-day estimates are that it costs about $50,000 to $100,000 ("Tom
Sullivan, pers. comm.")to take a one kilogram mass from the Earth to the
surface of the Moon. With such a prohibitive cost, it will be essential to
learn to “live off the land” on the Moon. Effective and efficient utilization
of in-situ resources on the Moon must
be maximized to provide the exploration effort with the infrastructure,
propellants, and other material requirements necessary for lunar operations.
Cost control for lunar and other space operations can be achieved by the use of
in-situ resources.
This proposal describes iron reduction technology and Chemical
Vapor Deposition (CVD) technology which are together capable of converting
lunar soils into things such as oxygen and steel products. Analogous CVD technologies
are used by International Nickel (INCO) of
Lifting mass from the lunar surface to Low-Lunar-Orbit
requires approximately 1.6 percent of
the energy needed to launch identical mass from Earth to the same LLO. NASA
will require in situ materials (indigenous to the Moon) in the
manufacture of infrastructure needed for manned lunar, martian and other
missions. ISRU-based Chemical Vapor Deposition has the potential to convert lunar regolith - hydrogen reduced feedstocks
to finished precision hardware (engines), structural components (pressure
vessels, hulls) and tools (wrenches, etc.).
CVD is also very synergistic with other potential ISRU processes such as
fiberglass.
In situ iron
from lunar soils will be extracted by first converting the FeO (ferrous oxide)
content to Fe0 (ferrum) iron metal by hydrogen reduction. This iron
metal content is then extracted (digested) using gaseous digestion techniques such
as carbonyl chemistry. The resultant volatile iron-containing gaseous molecules
are used in Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) manufacturing techniques. Vapor deposition
of steel alloys can produce pressure vessels, structural elements, tools and
tooling, fasteners, mirror contours and other products needed to support lunar
and martian exploration – with minimal machining. CVD of steel alloys is
performed on internal and external surfaces of inflatable contours, slush cast
molds, ISRU-fiberglass forms, and other suitable mold/mandrel contour objects.
CVD has great potential to be a major enabler of deep space missions and will revolutionize the
options available for mission planners to develop extended duration manned and
robotic space exploration missions. Significantly larger (and redundant)
payload masses originating from LLO or L1 (when compared with provisioning from
Earth’s surface) will enable longer duration
sustainable missions and larger scope
of exploration of Mars and CisLunar Space.
CVD of various materials is commonplace in today’s
industrial economy. Diamond coatings are produced using relatively
high-temperature techniques. The semiconductor foundry industry uses CVD of
metals and other materials in the manufacture of devices such as computers,
detection equipment, optical devices, etc.. ISRU low-temp CVD of steel to make structural
steel components made of steel will significantly simplify extraction and
recycling processes and will develop into real competition for the
prevailing high-temperature steel processing paradigms employed by terrestrial
applications, slashing energy needs and smokestack environmental impacts by
obsolescing energy-intensive processes.
ISRU CVD Research
Program Objectives
Our space exploration
program is dominated and restricted by two realities: gravity and the rocket
equation. Until costs associated with the
launch of material and men are lowered significantly, we will have to be clever
and innovative if we are to afford extensive space exploration.
The ISRU approach is to
launch less materiél into space, and
what does get shipped are mostly factories. Factories will be able to provide
real advantages by multiplying the amount of product produced from utilization
of limited payloads brought from earth. A factory launched from earth that is
made up of component modules for example will be able to produce hundreds or thousands of times their initial weights
of extracted oxygen for propellants
and breathing and extracted iron for
making steel products. Success lies with fabricating products outside of
Earth’s gravity well. Such a place with resources, energy and practical
proximity to Earth is the Moon, which is well-positioned as a literal
stepping-stone to Mars, Jupiter and beyond.
It is on and near Luna that we will fashion products from rocks and soil.
Those products include fuel
storage containers, pressure vessels, dewars, habitats, structural steel
components, rocket engine components, motors, plumbing, valves, etc.,
which usually have mass and bulk and, when manufactured from indigenous space
resources, allow us to avoid lifting them out of Earth’s gravity well. ISRU CVD
will allow for fabrication of bulkheads with high-precision docks, hatches and
seals with limited high-precision machining.
When mounted on a mandrel the bulkheads form the anchors for
double-walled dewars which are wrapped with ISRU FiberGlass composites,
plated-up with CVD inside and out, and later the insulating cavity is injected
with ISRU Silicon Aerogel. Applications
include pressure vessels, habitats, structural components, fiberglass hybrids,
thin-films, ceramics, spacecraft components including thrusters, etc.
Near Side Far Side
Figure 1.
This image shows results of
the Lunar Prospector analysis for iron content in the lunar regolith.
ISRU CVD foundry operations
will support LEO, MEO and GEO operations, and
ISRU-sourced metals and fuels will make a new CisLunar economy possible,
thereby making robust missions to Mars and Jupiter logistically possible. ISRU CVD steel foundry operations can deliver
fuel and oxidizer storage tanks, enabling ISRU oxygen extraction and storage to
continue apace. It is clear that the
fusion of ISRU CVD with other ISRU products, such as ISRU FiberGlass, will
redefine space transport and exploration infrastructures.
The top-level view of the
project is expected to be applied directly to planning for projects such as:
²
Specialized and
custom manufacturing of spare and original parts for exploration,
²
Projection of
heavy industries based on steel for lunar habitation, transport and industry.
The potential capabilities
represented by developing indigenous lunar capabilities in steel foundry
capabilities are staggering. This would
appear to be an economically-advantageous way to finesse the rocket equation
and be second perhaps to ISRU-LOX as a valuable exploration resource. The
project will focus on steel alloys for apples-to-apples comparisons of
low-energy ISRU CVD processes to conventional high-energy terrestrial steel foundries
which do not appear to be adaptable to space..
Comparative Analysis
As in any credible trade
study, it is important to conduct a comparative analysis of conventional iron
extraction and steel production methods versus our proposed
low-temperature CVD processes. We are
convinced that we will be able to demonstrate energy and logistical features
which are very favorable to low-temperature CVD in space. A necessary precursor
for most ISRU is hydrogen reduction of lunar soils, a process which extracts oxygen
from the minerals. The process temperatures for hydrogen reduction of lunar
soils and ores are 700°C to 900°C. Once the iron is in a reduced state, carbonyl
(CO) digestion techniques (low temperature CVD) extract the metallic iron
content by formation of iron pentacarbonyl. This formation of iron
pentacarbonyl, from iron and carbon monoxide, proceeds in the temperature range
of 75°C to 100°C. Iron pentacarbonyl is a gas/liquid which is then stored for
later use in depositing steel compositions. Iron pentacarbonyl decomposition
(CVD) is performed in the temperature range of 175°C to 200°C.
Conventional
extractive/conversion steel foundry processes employed in the steel industry
here on the Earth are very energy-intensive. Typical steel foundry
process temperatures are between 1500°C, and 2000°C. The much higher temperatures used in conventional steel
foundry operations give a clear advantage thermodynamically to our low
temperature CVD techniques. The steel foundry operations on Earth require truly
massive plant, special (and massive) refractory vessels and other heavy types
of equipment. Terrestrial iron foundry operations consume very large quantities
of energy (electricity). The heavy equipment and large energy requirements make
conventional steel foundry operations in space logistically impractical.
Presented here is an
overview of the types of iron foundry operations on Earth which have been used
or are used today on Earth in the manufacture of steel:
- Bottom-Blown Acid Process. Also known as the Bessemer Conversion
this process uses ambient air to provide Oxygen as the reactive/transport
agent to remove contaminants from molten iron in a refractory siliceous
vessel. Since nitrogen is the
majority constituent of the atmosphere, the efficiency of heating air is
slashed by the nitrogen/oxygen ratio (~4:1).
- Basic Bessemer Process. Also known as the Thomas-Gilchrest
process uses a basic flux instead of acidic, for the refining and
conversion in a basic-lined vessel.
- Open Hearth Process. Also named for its inventor, Karl
Wilhelm Siemens, this process employs iron ore to oxidize the carbon and
other contaminants in the molten metal.
- Oxygen Steel Making. This process employs gaseous oxygen
which provides a substantial improvement in process efficiency over its
predecessors by eliminating nitrogen from the loop.
- Electric Furnace Steel Making. This process has two principal versions,
Basic Oxygen and Electric Arc, using carbon-graphite electrodes in a
controlled atmosphere. This 1500°C
process temperature is typical of these conversion processes although
Electric Arc has been optimized to a 400KW / ton electrical consumption.
Another problem of all of
these conventional iron foundry processes in the lunar context is that rich
ores, often approaching 60% iron, are required to make the process work. The relatively low iron concentrations in regolith
are non-functional for these processes, even if all of the other energy and
mass problems are solved.
Iron is found in the lunar
regolith (soil) in the form of FeO (ferrous oxide). FeO is found in the lunar
soils in concentrations as high as 18%. The Maria regions on the near side of
the moon show concentrations of FeO in the range of 12% to 18%. The
The oxygen extracted by the
hydrogen reduction of FeO results in large quantities of oxygen, useable as breathable
air and as propellant oxidizer. A lunar oxygen plant is a great place to locate
a carbonyl iron foundry operation on the surface of the Moon. Operations by
companies where oxygen is produced on the Moon will be allied with our iron
extraction/fabrication facilities to the benefit of both companies.
"It should be obvious from the above discussion
that the CVD process needs a feedstock rich in metallic Fe. It has been assumed that this would be the
waste material from one of several oxygen-production processes. For the Phase 1 portion of this SBIR, we will
produce our own feedstock in much the manner that it might be done on the
Moon. Portions of terrestrial ilmenite
will be completely reduced to metallic Fe and TiO2 in a hydrogen reduction
furnace. Lunar ilmenite contains only
Fe2+ whereas terrestrial ilmenite also contains Fe3+ in addition to the major
Fe2+. However, such readily available
starting material is suitable for hydrogen reduction, especially where kinetics
are not a concern. Such an experiment
has already been conducted by Taylor et al. (1993) where they used both
synthetic FeTiO3 as well as Fe3+ bearing terrestrial ilmenite. The resultant waste product from this ilmenite
reduction will form the feedstock for experimentation with the CVD
process."(per Larry Taylor)
"If this process provides a suitable feedstock
for the CVD process, an experiment will be conducted to form metallic Fe from
the lunar soil simulant JSC-1A. This
will not be difficult, although the reduction kinetics are much slower."(per
Larry Taylor)
Taylor,
Kanamori, 1993, Production of
O2 on the Moon: A lab-top demonstration
of ilmenite reduction with hydrogen.
Lunar & Planetary Science XXIV, Lunar and Planetary Institute,
Houston, 1411-1412.
Figure 2.
This map of the
Moon was made from the data collected by the Clementine Mission in the mid
‘90s. Paul Lucey and colleagues at the
Benefits of the
Proposed Technology to NASA Missions
The main benefit of carbonyl
(CVD) lunar foundry operations is the ability to produce large quantities of
oxygen and to multiply the resultant tonnages of useable steel produced when
compared to the weight of the equipment and process gases brought from Earth to
begin with. The equipment is used over and over again in the operation of the
lunar foundry. The process gases are recycled over and over again, allowing
great quantities of iron products and oxygen to be produced with the finite and
limited quantities of gases brought from the Earth. The equipment brought from
Earth will be supplemented and added onto by the production of pressure vessels
and other items using lunar derived steel. The way to look at these operations
is to see that the steel foundry will replicate and multiply itself many times.
Many missions which will
require launching significant masses to distant orbits will be two orders of
magnitude less expensive and technically simpler to achieve using lunar resources.
Lifting manufactured goods from the lunar surface to Lunar-Low-Orbit (LLO)
requires approximately 1.6 per cent
of the energy needed to launch the same mass from Earth to the same Lunar
Orbit. Since ISRU CVD has the potential to convert the iron component of
hydrogen reduced lunar regolith to finished hardware and structural components
it has the potential to be a major
enabler of deep space missions.
The next significant energy
savings is realized by the intrinsic efficiencies and relatively ‘cool’ CVD
process temperatures. These replace many energy-intensive separation, alloying
and ‘working’ processes of conventional metals processing. No smelting, casting, hot-rolling, extruding,
forging and heavy machining is necessary.
Only light machining will be needed for drills, taps, and cleanup of
flashing.
Energy-savings in concert
with simplified processes will make the implementation of a lunar CVD foundry a
reality which, in turn, will make ambitious and robust missions a fact.
The majority of missions originate
on Earth. The more mission support provided in space leverages all missions.
Missions which are enlarged/provisioned by bootstrapping in lunar orbit with
materials and equipment produced on the lunar surface can be much larger and
better supplied than missions which get their supplies solely from Earth.
In-Situ Resource Utilization enables long duration missions. This will mean
larger crews and more equipment and supplies on Mars and in Mars Orbit. This suggests that a Jupiter Mission can have
greatly enhanced numbers of robotic probes to target the gas giant and her
complement of moons and other objectives.
Lunar CVD Foundry will allow mission masses which are multiples of those
economically achievable from Earth.
ISRU CVD will also be a
foundational component of any CisLunar economy and infrastructure, reducing the
launch masses required for Lunar settlement.
Some of this capacity will be employed in the manufacture of
manufacturing facilities on the Moon and elsewhere. ISRU CVD will also enhance the value of other
indigenous processes, especially the FiberGlass family.
This project is a
multi-disciplinary effort incorporating Chemical Engineering, Industrial
Manufacturing, ISRU and Systems Architecture expertise.
Figure 3. Nickel CVD
Tractor seat mold 24” x 24”
Part 3: Technical Objectives -
In Phase One the project will
investigate:
- deposition of simple iron and steel alloys
resulting in one or more test articles from iron-containing gases.
Planning for Phase 2 research will include defining an analysis matrix of
experiments to be carried on;
- formation of iron pentacarbonyl by digestion of
iron powders. Planning for Phase 2 research will include defining an
analysis matrix of gaseous extraction (CVD digestion) experiments. Iron
will be extracted in Phase 2 from various forms of iron containing
materials (iron powder, lunar soil simulants, powdered scrap metal) –
note: glassy agglutinates in real lunar regolith, which contain iron may
need to be ground or crushed to expose iron oxide and iron metal for the
hydrogen reduction and carbonyl digestion steps of the processing;
- the ISRU context, including the distribution of
minerals in lunar regolith and their utility as feedstock for reaction
with hydrogen to release iron metal from the mineral/glass phases;
- the process structures necessary for a
comprehensive front-to-back industrial CVD production;
- the energy requirements for each step of a
comprehensive process.
The chemical vapor
deposition of steel alloys will be briefly examined in Phase 1.
Extensive work involving the chemical vapor deposition of nickel from nickel
tetracarbonyl has been performed, however less work has been done on iron
chemical vapor deposition. Nonetheless, William Jenkin of the company has
performed ground-breaking work in the past on the iron deposition process.
There are examples in the literature involving the chemical vapor deposition of
iron and many other metals from volatile metal containing vapors.
In this Phase 1 research
program we will digest iron powder using the carbonyl process in order to
demonstrate the process of metals digestion as expeditiously as possible, with
minimal risk to schedule. In this initial iron powder digestion we must use
hydrogen reduction to convert oxides on the surface of the iron powder to iron
metal, whereas in the hydrogen reduction of lunar soil simulants the hydrogen
reduction process must convert the FeO content to metallic iron. In Phase 2 we
will actually use the reactor developed for digestion of iron powder to
research the reduction/extraction of iron from more complex iron feedstocks
such as lunar soil simulants and finely divided scrap steel.
The investigation, systems
architecture and definition of the ISRU context for CVD
implementation will be conducted in order to provide validation of CVD as a
low-energy process flow in an exploration setting. The key components of the validation process
are 1) a mapping of the distribution of minerals in lunar regolith using the
current data sets made available by Clementine and Lunar Prospector Orbiters,
2) an enumeration of the utility of lunar minerals as feedstock for various
processing which will produce oxygen and leave an iron metal rich byproduct
destined for carbonyl iron extraction 3) an enumeration of potential, and
high-value CVD products, 4) identification of other industrial processes, such
as fiberglass which are enhanced (or enabled) by the availability of lunar-based
CVD, 5) identification of the missions which are substantially enabled by lunar-based
CVD.
Further systems
architecture will yield the process structures necessary for a
comprehensive front-to-back definition of industrial CVD production. This ‘drill down’ of the processes, the flow
of product components and integration with other exploration systems will
provide the roadmap for the next stage of development (Phase 2). This task stream will also indicate the
opportunities for automation and the specification of custom manufacturing from
terrestrial design centers to lunar-based CVD plants.
The necessary energy
requirements for each step of a comprehensive front-to-back process
will be characterized to include efficiencies, types and locations of energy
inputs, and regenerative recovery opportunities (if any). Comparison with
conventional steel foundry operations will clearly show the CVD energy
requirements to be significantly less than conventional steel manufacturing
requirements. Reduced energy consumption in the CVD foundry operations will
result in significant savings over conventional steel foundry operations.
Part 4: Work Plan -
The systems architects will
develop and define a Work Breakdown Structure which will provide some guidance
to the researchers in anticipating their laboratory needs and order of research
and development.
Research Components
Deposition
The company has purchased a
kilogram of iron pentacarbonyl to use in initial chemical vapor deposition of
iron coatings. The control of carbon content and oxygen content in the
resultant iron coatings will be addressed to a limited extent in the Phase 1
research, while the deposition of controllable steel alloys will be done in the
Phase 2 research. CVD of iron/steel is done with these gases in varying
concentrations - carbon monoxide, water, ammonia, nitrogen monoxide, trifluorophosphine,
and hydrogen. It is believed that some of the more complex iron-bearing
volatile species may yield more controllable steel alloys (for example, iron
carbonyl/nitrosyl). The research into the formation of iron-bearing volatile
species from lunar simulants will set the groundwork for design of actual lunar
ore and soil processing equipment. Deposition of iron/steel is done in the
temperature range of 175°C to 200°C. To prevent unwanted deposition of coatings
it is necessary to maintain surface temperatures of less than 125°C in the
areas where deposition is not desired.
Digestion
The detailed work plan involves the use of special
stainless steel apparatus for the containment of the appropriate process gas
mixtures. Iron powder will have a thin iron oxide corrosion surface layer which
must be converted back to metallic iron by hydrogen reduction, prior to the
process of carbonyl digestion. In the case of reduction of iron in lunar regolith
simulants it is possible to collect and measure the resultant water vapor to
determine the amount of iron converted in the stimulant. The various gases to
be used in the iron digestion itself include; carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide,
trifluorophosphine, hydrogen, nitrogen and noble gases (He, Ne, Ar). An experiment series will be conducted using
these gases individually, and as mixtures. Carbonyl extraction (digestion) of iron
occurs with temperatures of 75°-100°C and carbon monoxide pressures of 200 to
3000 psi. Recent work by
have shown that ilmenite reduction was accelerated in
the presence of catalysts. The catalysts mentioned are KCL (100% to 170%
increased rates) and K2CO3 (164% to 276% increased
rates). The temperature of reaction is greater than 8070C. This 807oC
temperature is probably the best temperature for hydrogen reduction.
Measurements of resultant
gaseous molecules will be done by measuring the infrared spectrum, densities,
melting point/boiling point and other measurable characteristics of the
resultant iron-bearing gases.
Development
Components
Lunar In-Situ Resource Inventory
Lunar regolith minerals and
their distributions have been compiled and published. This information will be
examined in order to identify the most promising regions capable of sustained
steel production. Recent distribution
data from the Clementine and Lunar Prospector Orbiters are used to determine
iron concentrations over the surface of the moon. There are oxygen-producing
processes that can use highland regolith (i.e., ~5% FeO) and result in useable
oxygen and iron metal containing waste. Taylor & Carrier (1992) compiled
and reviewed 20 different processes for the production of oxygen on the moon.
They examined the feedstocks, masses, number of steps and relative potential
for success in the lunar logistical situation.
Figure 4. Top-Level
ISRU Flow Diagram
The ore concentrations will
probably not be the sole determinant for mission planning although the numbers
may tip the scale when competing landing and development sites are down-selected.
The lunar mares areas are preferred in the current work.
Process Inventory
1.
Hydrogen
reduction of iron oxide to produce iron metal.
2.
Carbonyl reaction
with iron metal to produce iron pentacarbonyl.
3.
Iron
pentacarbonyl decomposition reaction producing a metallic coating of
iron/steel.
The
company, Galactic Mining Industries, Inc., has assembled a team of individuals
which have extensive expertise in the required subject matter areas. Bill
Jenkin has 17 U.S. Patents and 45 years experience in developing nickel CVD
technology for industry. We have compiled a bibliography of over 50 U.S.
Patents which deal with the subject of CVD of metals. The PI, Richard Westfall
has extensive chemistry/physics research experience. Larry Taylor is the
company’s Moon Geophysicist with over 350 publications involving lunar
characterization and mission planning. Larry provides the company with the
expertise to select locations on the Moon with useable iron concentrations.
Larry also has expertise with the specifics of lunar mineral
composition/availability. With the compilation of background information and
the hands on experience of the chemistry team, we feel confident we can develop
state-of-the-art processes capable of manufacturing steel products on the Moon
using material feedstocks of materials found on the Moon. The two principal
research matrices are the hydrogen
reduction/preparation of the iron feedstock materials and the conditions and chemistry of steel coating
CVD processes. Optimization of these technologies will be completed in Phase
2. Phase 1 will begin with modest work product goals. Bill Jenkin has already
produced a limited number of iron coatings in work for John Lewis of the
Lunar
soils and pyroclastic deposits which have undergone the hydrogen reduction and
carbonyl iron extraction can undergo further processing to extract the metals
left behind. The metals of interest which are left behind after hydrogen reduction/carbonyl extraction
processing include oxides of: aluminum, silicon, titanium and others. We
propose taking this waste stream and dissolving it in molten salt baths
(FLINAK, 4540C mp, for example) where through electrodeposition
these other metals can be extracted for other industrial uses. The aluminum can
be converted into aluminum alkyls (tri-isobutyl aluminum, for example). The
aluminum alkyl is useable as a CVD gas in aluminum CVD deposition. The silicon
can be used to make photovoltaic devices. The titanium can be used to make
spacecraft components and structural components. The topic of new uses for the
lunar regolith will be looked at in Phase 2 to provide direction for future
research.
Steel Compositions are Controlled
Steel deposited by CVD can be
modified by varying the amount of carbon included in the lattice, by impurities
and by post deposition anneal cycles. Management of the process gas composition
during steel deposition can be used to vary the carbon content of deposited
films. Additional gases added to the gas stream during the digestion step can
result in iron bearing gaseous products which have a mixture of ligands.
Instead of iron pentacarbonyl, it is possible to form iron carbonyl-nitrosyl
complexes. These gases show promise for making exceptionally low carbon steel
coatings. Impurities such as boron can be added to dramatically improve
mechanical properties of deposited coatings. In the case of nickel CVD coatings
it is possible to increase the yield strength of deposited films to near
200,000 psi. The report at the end of phase 2 will provide details of areas of
research which can result in unique and valuable coating technologies.
Industrial Issues
The industrial issues are
largely logistical in nature and it is essential to develop familiarity with
issues such as process gas compatibilities, storage for feedstock queueing,
process gas reuseabilities and interactions, along with product type
differentiation. Energy requirements
have to be quantified.
Architect a Production Facility
For maximum versatility in
product types it is important to architect a production facility based on rapid
prototyping methods so that terrestrial design centers can transmit design
files and remotely set up a production run.
Each line of a plant will be designed to handle a certain scale of
component, that is a finite range of sizes, where some lines build parts up to
the size of an electric motor rotor, others up to a rocket nozzle, and yet
others up to a large I-Beam. Each front-to-back process will produce
identical parts in a custom mass-production format until the line is
reprogrammed to build something else.
Figure 4 is a starting point for development of a fully-fledged
architecture.
Integrate CVD into other Manufacturing
Processes
The feasibility of
integrating steel CVD with ISRU-derived fiberglass will be investigated in
order to manufacture high-quality composite products. A plate-up of fiberglass forms with CVD to
produce metal matrix composites will enable the manufacture of a wide variety
of products on a broad scale of sizes. In future work aluminum metal matrix
composites could be an important product line.
CVD cladding applied to
glass fibers will be a precursory stage for another manufacturing process: combustion
synthesis. This is accomplished by the chemical fusing of dissimilar metals
as a replacement for epoxy, an organic product which will likely not be
available on the Moon due to the scarcity of Carbon and Nitrogen.
Part 5: Related
R/R&D -
Galactic Mining Industries, Inc. has extensive
in-house experience with the chemical vapor deposition of coatings of Nickel,
Iron, Aluminum, and other metals. William C. Jenkin is specifically responsible
for over 45 years of development of chemical vapor deposition of metals. In
1990, William Jenkin worked for Dr. John Lewis of the
The history of this work is outlined by the mass of
papers and patents enumerated elsewhere in this document.
|
|
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Figure 5. Nickel
CVD of a Complex Figure 6. Experimental Apparatus – Iron
Digestion on
Shape
the left –
Deposition Test Chamber on right
Part 6: Key Personnel and Bibliography of Directly
Related Work –
Richard M. Westfall – President and Research
Director of Galactic Mining Industries, Inc. – Project Principal
Investigator
Mr. Westfall has worked for
the government and private industry. He founded Galactic Mining Industries,
Inc. in 1989. Galactic Mining Industries, Inc. has operated as a think tank for
the last 15 years and is dedicated to developing the technical and legal
foundations of space colonization. The focus of Galactic Mining Industries,
Inc. has been the development of technology to use space reaources and to
develop the legal basis for mining claims and property ownership in space. With
the president’s focus on return to the moon, Mr. Westfall has decided to apply
the Carbonyl chemistry which his company has prepared to the extraction of Iron
from Lunar ores and soils for the in situ resource utilization of Lunar
materials on the moon.
Mr. Westfall has extensive
experience in scientific research. He is currently a Professional Research
Associate (PRA) at the Physics Department of the
Mr. Westfall began his
scientific career at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
in
Mr. Westfall began work on
photovoltaics in 1977 as a CU student on the
Mr. Westfall worked at the
Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) in
Mr. Westfall started a
company by the name of C.E.L. Systems Corporation to continue this photovoltaic
research. While working as C.E.L. Systems Corporation, Mr. Westfall received 3
U.S. Patents, 4,632,736, 4,826,579, and 5,215,631. These patents disclose
electrolytic techniques for the production of crystalline materials for use in
electronic devices.
Photovoltaic research at
the
Process chemistry work was
performed for a company in
Most recently, in work for
his company Galactic Mining Industries, Inc. Mr. Westfall has been involved in
detailed literature studies involving the chemical vapor deposition techniques
which will be useful in the colonization of space using in situ
resources. Mr. Westfall asked William C. Jenkin to be involved, and Mr. Jenkin
joined the team over ten years ago. This work on chemical vapor deposition
carried on by Mr. Westfall and Mr. Jenkin has laid the theoretical foundation
for the processing of Lunar materials and the production of steel on the moon.
Subject Matter Expert, Chemistry -William C.
Jenkin - Galactic Mining Industries, Inc.
William Jenkin has over 45
years experience in developing Chemical Vapor Deposition techniques for
industry. As of 1959, only a laboratory technology to perform Nickel CVD had
been developed, at Commonwealth Engineering Company of
In 1968, Jenkin convinced
AKRON STANDARD MOLD, Company (of Akron, Ohio) to set up a division of the
company to make Nickel shell molds for various industrial polymer molding
operations, including automobile tire molds.
Jenkin was the division manager.
This was the first jump to an industrial technology. By 1971, experimentation led to an important
development of technology where a mandrel (made of epoxy bonded with a mix of
coarse & fine Aluminum powders) was heated on the back side by jetted hot
heat exchange fluid while Carbonyl vapors were directed to the important
“shaped” side and decomposed and formed a Nickel metal deposit thereon. Another division of the company incorporated
the 1/8” thick Nickel shells typically made into structures for the molding of
plastics.
By 1972, several shells up
to 6 ft long and weighing up to 100 lbs had been made. Sales were slow because it was a new product,
but also due to the recession of 1972.
This company, as well as the division, were unprofitable so the division
was sold to the PRESSURE CHEMICAL COMPANY of
The PRESSURE CHEMICAL
COMPANY continued to sponsor manufacture of Nickel shell molds and sold them to
several firms. Production was moved to
This division of FORMATIVE
PRODUCTS continued under several changes of managers until 1991, all this time
making many 1/8” thick Nickel shells, one as long as 14 ft. In 1991, the then manager, Kenneth Mackenzie,
carelessly toxically exposed himself to Nickel Carbonyl vapors and spent 2
months in the hospital. The medical
treatment available enabled him to recover completely, but the company shut
down for two months and lost their customers.
The division had also been on the verge of being bought by a Japanese
firm, who then backed off.
In 1992, the operation was
liquidated, assisted by Jenkin.
Remember, however, that Nickel shells were made in production from 1971
through 1992.
Meantime, about 1994, a
Nickel shell CVD operation was set up in
In 1965, INCO Ltd., of
About 1994, a Japanese
owned firm, FET Engineering, Inc., set up a Nickel shell CVD manufacturing
operation in
In 1999, the Fallon,
In 2003, a company, Weber
Tool and Technology of Midland, Ontario, Canada, set up a Nickel shell CVD
operation. They obtained the technology
by hiring INCO Ltd employees from the INCO Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
operation. Weber had been buying the
Nickel shells that INCO made and finished the processing and mounting in
structures for production molding of plastics.
So they took over the CVD.
Other applications of
Nickel CVD that made it to production are coating of Carbon fiber “tow” with
Nickel, plus at the same facility, the making of Nickel foam for batteries (by
coating polyurethane foam). This
technology developed by Jenkin is currently being done in Clydach,
There is continuing activity in developing industrial
uses of Nickel CVD technology by Metal Matrix Composites, Inc., a firm in
Midway,
U.S. Patent 455,227, June 30,
1891, Ludwig Mond, Process of Making Compounds of Nickel and Carbon Monoxide
U.S. Patent 1,868,044, July
19, 1932, Leopold Brandt of Dortmund-Horde, Germany, Assignor to Vereineigte
Stahlwerke Aktiengesellschaft, of Dusseldorf, Germany, Method of Producing
IronCarbonyl
U.S. Patent 2,757,077, July
31, 1956, R. Lewis, Method for Recovering Metallic Values from Ores Containing
Iron and Nickel
U.S. Patent 2,824,828,
February 25, 1958, H.J. Homer, Colored Glass Fibers and Method of Producing the
same
U.S. Patent 3,070,469,
December 25, 1962, William C. Jenkin,
Method of Encapsulation of Lithium Borohydride, Class 149-5, Commonwealth
Engineering Company
U.S. Patent 3,086,881, April
23, 1963, William C. Jenkin, Method
for Securing Adhesion of Gas Plating, Class 117-50, Union Carbide
U.S. Patent 3,158,499,
November 24, 1964, William C. Jenkin, Method of Depositing Metal Coatings in holes,
tubes, crack, fissures & the like , Class 117-107.2, Union Carbide
U.S. Patent 3,160,517,
December 8, 1964, William C. Jenkin
Method of depositing metals & metallic compounds through-out the pores of
porous body, Class 117-93.3, Union Carbide
U.S. Patent 3,176,356, April
6, 1965, William C. Jenkin, Method
& Apparatus for Obtaining the Release of Gas Plated Deposits from Substrate
Surfaces, Class 22-57.3, Union Carbide
U.S. Patent 3,196,003, July
20, 1965, William C. Jenkin, Process
for Making Metal Strips & Sheets from Waste Metal, Class 75-62, Union
Carbide
U.S. Patent 3,466,229,
September 9, 1969, William C. Jenkin,
Metallizing Plastics by Gas Plating (John R. Whitacre & W.C. Jenkin), Class
204-30, Union Carbide
U.S. Patent 3,554,880,
January 12, 1971, William C. Jenkin,
Process for Electroplating Polyoxymethylene Resins, Class 204-30, Dupont
U.S. Patent 3,619,288,
November 9, 1971, Erhard Sirtl, Process for Precipitating a High Melting
Metal-Contact Layer at Low Temperatures
U.S. Patent 4,938,999, July
3, 1990, William C. Jenkin, Process
for Coating a Metal Substrate by Chemical Vapor Deposition using a Metal
Carbonyl
Published Articles and Non-Published Notes -
Forms of Iron Deposited by
the Thermal Decomposition of Iron Pentacarbonyl in the Gas Phase, D. Beischer,
Z. Electrochemie, 45, 310-13(1939)
Iron and Nickel by Carbonyl
Treatment, R.M. Lewis, Journal of Metals, June 1958, 419-424
Twenty-Five Years Progress in
Nickel Refining, The Industrial Chemist, December, 1959, 583-588
The Kinetics of Nickel
Carbonyl Formation, W.M. Goldberger, I&EC Process Design and Development,
1962, 202-2090
Direct Synthesis of
Trifluorophosphine Complexes of Cobalt as well as of Nickel and it’s Homologs,
Thomas Kruck, Chem. Ber. 101, 138-142, (1968)
Phosphorus-Fluorine
Compounds, Part XIV, Direct Synthesis of Tetrakis(fluorophosphine) Complexes of
Zerovalent Nickel, John Nixon, J. Chem. Soc. (A), 1969, 1089-1091
Shortened Route to Pure
Nickel, International Nickel Co., Chemical Engineering, November 24, 1975,
54-55
Letter from Dr. John Lewis,
The University of Arizona, to William C. Jenkin, December 14, 1989, involving
research on Iron CVD
Kinetic Study of the Chemical
Vapor Deposition of Iron Films Using Iron Pentacarbonyl, Francisco Zaera,
Langmuir, 1991, 7, 1188-1191
Analysis of Various Carbonyl
Systems, F.A. Houle, J. Phys. Chem., 96, 10425 (1992)
Dissociation Dynamics of Core
Excited Iron Carbonyl Nitrosyl, M. Simon – Lure, Univ. Paris-sud,
Magnetic Properties of
Vapor-Deposited Iron-Noble-Metal Multilayers, B.X. Liu, (Dept. of Mater. Sci.
& Eng.,
JSC-1: A New Lunar Soil
Simulant, David S. McKay, Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space
IV, American Society of Civil Engineers, pp. 857-866, 1994
Pattern Generation Below 0.1
micron by Localized Chemical Vapor Deposition with the Scanning Tunneling
Microscope, A. de Lozanne, (Dept. of Phys., Texas Univ., Austin, TX, USA)
Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part 1 (Regular Papers & Short Notes),
v. 33, n. 12B, Dec. 1994, pp. 7090-3
Initial Stages of Fe Chemical
Vapor Deposition onto Si(100), D.P. Adams, Physical Review Letters, Volume 74,
Number 25, 19 June 1995, 5088-5091
Three-Dimensional Laser
Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nickel-Iron Alloys, J.L. Maxwell, (Center for
Integrated Electronics & Electronics Manufacture,
Atmospheric Laser Chemical
Vapour Deposition of Iron-Carbon Composites, P.C. Chen, (Dept. of Chem.,
Spelman Coll., Atlanta, GA, USA;); Journal of Materials Science Letters, v. 14,
n. 18, 15 Sept. 1995, pp. 1289-91
Infrared and Ultraviolet
Laser-Assisted Deposition from Iron Pentacarbonyl, R. Alesandrescu, (Laser
Dept., Inst. of Atomic Phys., Bucharest, Romania); Optical Engineering, v. 35,
n. 5, May 1996, pp. 1377-82
Real-Time Volumetric Growth
Rate Measurements and Feedback Control of Three-Dimensional Laser Chemical
Vapor Deposition, J.L. Maxwell, (Lab. For Micromanufacturing,
Iron-Iron Oxide Composite
Thin Films Prepared by Chemical Vapor Deposition from Iron Pentacarbonyl, T.
Maruyama (Dept. of Chem. Eng., Kyoto Univ., Japan); Shinyashiki, Y. Source:
Thin Solid Films, v. 333, n 1-2, 23 Nov. 1998, pp. 203-206
Preparation of Iron
Nanoparticles by Chemical Vapor Condensation, C.J. Choi, (Korea Inst. of
Machinery & Metals 66, Changwon, South Korea;); Materials Letters, v. 56,
n. 3, Oct. 2002, pp. 289-94
Microstructure and
Orientation of Iron Crystals by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition with
Imposition of Magnetic Field, N. Yoshikawa, (Dept. of Metall., Tohoku Univ.,
Sendai, Japan;); Journal of Materials Research, v. 17, n. 11, Nov. 2002, pp.
2865-2874
Subject
Matter Expert, Lunar Geochemist: Dr.
Lawrence A.
Distinguished Professor of
Earth & Planetary Sciences
Director, Planetary
Geosciences Institute http://web.utk.edu/~pgi
Expertise: material scientist/geologist: Lunar
regolith & soil science and soil characterization; chemical, physical,
& geotechnical properties of Lunar regolith; Lunar dust abatement;
microwave heating of Lunar soil and Lunar simulants; Oxygen-production processes; development of
proper Lunar simulant; design and development of process for Lunar and martian
regolith heating for the production of Oxygen; trafficability on Lunar surface:
Lunar ‘ground truth’, etc.
EDUCATION
1958 – 1963 B.S.
1961; M.S. 1963;
1965 – 1968 Ph.D.
1968;
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Dr. Taylor is a petrologist/geochemist who practices
materials science on geologic materials.
He is a long-time “lunatic”, having worked on Lunar samples since the
first return of materials during the Apollo 11 Mission. He and his research group continue these
studies ever enthusiastically today. His
early background in the mining industry and his initial education in economic
geology and materials sciences have greatly aided his applications of Lunar
science for the study of the In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) of the
Moon and Mars. About 25% of his science
and and engineering publications have
been concerned with the ISRU of Lunar materials.
1977 – present Professor
of Earth & Planetary Sci. -
1981 – 1982
Discipline Scientist & Program Manager, Planetary Materials
Program,
Solar System Explor. Div., NASA Headquarters,
1993 – present Director, Planetary Geosciences
Institute,
2004 – present Univ. of Tennessee Distinguished
Professor
AFFILIATIONS
& AWARDS:
Too many NASA Committees; UT
Chancellor's Research Scholar, 1981-82: UT, Excellence In Research Award,
‘92-93; Award From French Government: Recognition Of Space Endeavors -
1993,
SELECTED
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS (from >350 refereed publications)
Pieters, C.M.,
Taylor,
Anand, M.,
Taylor,
Taylor,
Subject Matter Expert, Systems Architecture &
Integration:
A nuts and bolts technologist from 'way back,
Rod designs and develops products with electronics or intelligence content for
the industrial world. Raised to be a
generalist and an artist in a long line of artists he is comfortable working in
the oil patch, avionics, mining, systems, industrial automation and the
like. His customers have mass-produced
his designs in oil well controllers installed on five continents, avionics
flying in commercial and military fleets worldwide as well as the President's
Helicopter Fleet, specialized test equipment and numerous other products. These
devices are often, although not exclusively, embedded controllers operating in
hazardous environments.
His life's passion is lost and ancient
technologies. His efforts in this arena
include cross-disciplinary application of "out-of-context" technology, and discovery of math imbedded in archaic structures. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Math and
Computer Science, having grown up with computers since the sixties. He is a VietNam-era veteran and a sometimes-current
private pilot.
Applications
Papers
The
Development and Realization of a Silicon-60-Based Economy in CisLunar Space.
G.J. Rodriguez, Space Resources Roundtable II (2000), #7031.
SILICON:
The Foundations of a CisLunar Economy. G.J. Rodriguez, sysRAND Corporation, W.A. Good, ESTS Inc., AIAA
2001-4662.
A World of Silicon, G.J. Rodriguez, sysRAND Corporation, W.A. Good, ESTS
Inc., (publication pending).
Power Architectures for Lunar
Resource Development, G.J. Rodriguez,
Space Resources Roundtable V (2003).
(Google with search key "Power Architectures Lunar").
Power Lander for Support of
Lunar Exploration and Development,
C.R. Joyner, G.J. Rodriguez, SRR VI (2004), #6032.
Lunar
and Martian Fiberglass as a Versatile Family of ISRU Value-Added Products, G.J. Rodriguez, SRR VI (2004), #6034.
Part 7: Relationship with Phase 2 or Future R/R&D
-
Work performed in Phase 1
of this program will be expanded in Phase 2 to perfect the extraction of Iron
from Lunar simulants. Chemical Vapor Deposition of steel alloys and the
precursor Hydrogen Reduction process will be central to the Phase 2 activity.
Special emphasis will be paid to the levels of Carbon and Oxygen inclusion in
the deposited coatings. Such coatings will be produced with less than 1% Carbon
and only trace levels of Oxygen are acceptable. Inclusion of trace chemicals
such as Boron are expected to increase the strength of these steel alloys in a
similar fashion to properties achievable with Nickel CVD. Deliverables for
Phase 2 include a complete how-to manual for lunar production of steel, along
with samples of deposited steel coatings and small experimental pressure
vessels made using this technology. Terrestrial markets for products made with
this technology will also be defined in order to establish sales here on Earth
for the company’s products.
Phase 2 research will include:
- Hydrogen reduction
of iron powders, lunar soil simulants, ilmenite and finely divided
scrap metal. Grinding may be necessary to improve the efficiency of
hydrogen reduction. Real lunar soils contain glassy agglutinates which
must be ground in order to expose iron oxide for the reduction step. Once
reduced, the iron content must be exposed to carbon monoxide for the
extraction/digestion process. Electrolysis of water is to be examined. The
hydrogen produced by electrolysis is used in further reduction of more
lunar soils. The oxygen is used for breathing and for propellant oxidizer.
- Carbonyl extraction (CVD digestion) of iron from
hydrogen reduced samples of; iron powders, lunar soil simulants, ilmenite
and finely divided scrap metal.
- Assembling a gas handling manifold system capable
of delivering appropriate CVD gas mixtures by the selective mixing,
sorting, separating and re-using of the individual constituent gas
components.
- Deposition and alloying processes and
methodologies will be examined, tested and documented.
- Industrial processes such as storage strategies
for metal-laden gas/liquid feedstocks will be examined in detail and
documented.
- Discovery of available derivative processes,
practical flowrates, subsystem definition and interactions will be done
toward a systems integration overview standpoint.
- Effort will be expended toward the adapting and
integrating of low-energy CVD into ISRU activities such as infrastructure
design and construction. FiberGlass materials and low-temperature CVD
technologies to make composite materials will be applied to fulfill
various infrastructure requirements and specifications.
- We will map diverse families of products
foundational to various missions and efforts.
- CisLunar Infrastructures will be designed with
ISRU CVD technology implications taken into account.
- Shipyards to support a robust exploration effort
will be influenced by ISRU CVD technology.
- Fabrication of second-generation lunar facilities
will be influenced by ISRU CVD technology.
- Systems Architecture, definition of a pilot
plant with capacity, flows and feedstock needs, and partitioning into
functional subsystems will be modeled.
Hydrogen reduction of
various iron containing feedstocks will proceed until the production of water
ceases. The water is collected in a cryo-trap or dessicant. The amount of water
is then determined and the amount of oxygen extracted from the sample is
calculated. Grinding of the sample may be necessary to increase the surface
area of feedstock materials in order to maximize the amount of extractable
oxygen and to maximize the available iron for conversion to the carbonyl (or
other volatile iron-bearing species).
Carbonyl extraction of
metallic iron from the hydrogen reduced feedstock produces iron carbonyl
volatile gas/liquid. This gas/liquid is collected for use in the deposition of
iron/steel compositions. Both of the well known lunar simulants are to be
employed: JSC-1 is a lunar simulant which is low in titanium, while MLS-1 is a
lunar simulant with high titanium content. Once the iron is reduced with
hydrogen gas, extraction of iron will be performed by the use of various gases which
can act as ligands, attaching to the metallic iron atoms. Suitable ligands
include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen monoxide (NO) and trifluorophosphine (PF3).
Examples of volatile gaseous iron-bearing molecules include – Fe(CO)5 iron
pentacarbonyl, Fe(NO)2(CO)2 iron nitrosyl carbonyl, Fe(PF3)5
iron penta-trifluorophosphine, and other combinations of ligands.
Extensive development of
processes for the chemical vapor deposition of steel alloys will be performed
in Phase 2 research. Significant work has been done involving the chemical
vapor deposition of nickel from nickel tetracarbonyl.
The remaining process
components of mixing, sorting, separating and re-using process gases,
definition of second-order industrial processes such as storage
strategies for metal-laden gas feedstocks, available derivative
processes, practical flowrates, subsystem definition and
interactions are all of a type which will be precursors to design and
development of a pilot plant.
In Phase 2 the detailed
work plan involves the use of the same special stainless steel apparatus for
the containment of lunar simulant powdered materials and reduction process.
Hydrogen will be introduced into the special apparatus of the company and
through control of conditions such as temperature (700-900°C) and hydrogen pressure, the iron portion of
the lunar simulants will be reduced to the metallic state of Iron (Fe0).
Reduction of Iron will be
detectable through the formation of water vapor in the exhaust gas stream from
the extraction apparatus. The water vapor can be measured by either
condensation in cold traps, or the measurement of weight increase of desiccant
materials through which the exhaust gases are expelled.
Figure 5. Nickel CVD
Part 8: Company Information and Facilities -
Galactic Mining
Industries, Inc. was first
established in 1989 by Richard Westfall. Mr. Westfall has over the years
continued to promote the idea of using ExtraTerrestrial resources in space exploration
and colonization efforts. The company has had many individuals involved with
the development of the plans and technologies to be used in these efforts. The
company has established a relationship with individuals at the Colorado School
of Mines (CSM) in Golden Colorado. The company has a consulting relationship
with CSM. Through this consulting relationship we will use the laboratory
facilities and capabilities of the Colorado School of Mines to fulfill the work
defined in this Phase 1 proposal. Equipment will be provided by the company for
the hydrogen reduction of lunar simulants, formation of iron carbonyl and other
volatile compounds of iron, and for the Chemical Vapor Deposition of steel
alloys. The Colorado School of Mines will provide consulting and other support
to this effort. The Colorado School of Mines team members are discussed in Part
9 of this proposal.
Part 9: Subcontracts and Consultants -
The Colorado School of
Mines in Golden,
Dr. John J. Moore of the
Metallurgy Dept. will act as a consultant in the planning and execution of
research carried on in this effort. Dr. John J. Moore is the Head of the
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department and Director of the
Materials Science Program at the Colorado School of Mines. He is also the
Director of the Advanced Coatings and Surface Engineering Laboratory. Dr. Moore
has a BSc from the
Dr. Michael Duke of the
Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS) will also
serve in a consulting role in this effort. Dr. Duke, CCACS Research Professor
and Director of CCACS, has extensive experience in the use of extraTerrestrial
resources and hosts the annual Space Resources Roundtable at CSM. Dr. Duke has
been involved with research on the use of Lunar resources for over 3 decades.
Bradley Blair of CCACS will serve in a consulting role in this effort. Mr. Blair has worked on economic models for ExtraTerrestrial resource utilization and has extensive experience and contacts in space commercialization.
sysRAND
Corporation is a
Part 10:
Commercial Applications Potential -
CVD does not make use of conventional hot
processes, resulting in small physical and environmental footprints and a
miniscule power budget. Simple steel buildings serve as containment shells and
inexpensive COTS ionic fire detectors provide additional safety features. CVD
Digestion can be effectively used to recycle metals and those toxic materials
typical of the electronics industry such as batteries. The low-energy requirements, ability to
recycle low-grade scrap, and small footprint of CVD production will encourage
adoption throughout the world as a truly environmentally-friendly industry with
moderate and manageable risks.
In space, the slow rate of deposition of
steel coatings is offset by the economic advantage of CisLunar steel production
at the top of the gravity well. The applicability of CVD
technologies on Earth may be selective, since conventional steel production
with the large stamping and sheet metal fabrication techniques are much more
economical than CVD steel production. In contrast, CVD versatility makes it an
outstanding candidate for CUSTOM MASS PRODUCTION – where small to large
production runs are choreographed by proven CAD-to-product automation.
CVD will excel whenever the product’s added value is relatively
high, since CVD eliminates complex machining, hot rolling and other
energy-intensive production steps required to manufacture high-tech parts from
raw metals.
CVD industrial pallets can become an
Part
11: Similar Proposals and Awards –
Galactic Mining Industries, Inc. has previously
submitted a similar topic as a NASA SBIR proposal in 2004. The company does not
intend to submit this proposal to any other organization during the proposal
review and acceptance period.
Galactic Mining Industries, Inc. has never received
research monies for this work in the past.
sysRAND Corporation has previously submitted a 2005
NIAC proposal which sought to define industrial and systems architectures for
integrating CVD and Silicon Fiberglass processes towards a Lunar infrastructure
capable of supporting Shipyards in Lunar Orbit.
The proposal failed to include the advances in Lunar Exploration made in
the last twenty years which support the extensive presence of Iron and other
metals in the Lunar regolith.
sysRAND has never received research monies for this
work.
|
|
sysRAND
Corporation™ 8(a)
SDB VO Space Applications and CommercializationAvionics and Industrial Controls |
1 September 2005
Richard Westfall
President
Galactic Mining,
Inc.
Dear Sirs,
This letter serves
as a commitment that I will be
available at the times required and for the purposes and extent of effort
described in Galactic Mining's SBIR Phase I proposal: X9.01-8721
SBIR
2005-I: ISRU Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) as a low-energy,
high-performance metals
extraction and fabrication substitute for Heavy Industries in support of Manned
Exploration,
a technical proposal which concerns the proof-of-concept of Iron Vapor
Digestion and Deposition and the realization and maturation of industrial
processes for space applications.
We enthusiastically anticipate participating in this project, and thank
you for providing this opportunity for us to apply our demonstrated
capabilities to the nation’s space effort.
Sincerely,
Gary J. Rodriguez
President, Systems Architect
