An Experimental Investigation of Size Sorting of Lunar Simulants in Terrestrial and Lunar Gravity

Lunar surface missions will rely on In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies for a sustained presence. These technologies will be enhanced by the use of beneficiation approaches of lunar regolith to increase efficiency and performance of regolith processors for oxygen and water production. An experimental investigation to determine the performance of size sorting concepts of lunar simulants was performed under terrestrial and lunar gravity on the Zero-G aircraft. Two hardware concepts were tested which were based on screen sieving techniques. The effects of vibration and sifting agitation, use of JSC-1a and NU-LHT-2M lunar simulants, and different mesh sizes were investigated. The sieving percentage was determined by simple weighing of passing particles. Imaging of the sieving process to provide physical insight was also provided during the flight tests. Despite the limited low-g period (approximately 20 seconds) the data provided sufficient information to determine the performance and operational issues of operating over longer periods in a relevant low-g environment. The results of sieving performance, hardware operation, and testing in terrestrial and lunar gravity will be discussed.