Energy Production in Martian Environment -- Powering a Mars Direct-based Habitat

TL;DR

This study evaluates energy production options for a Mars habitat based on the Mars Direct concept, analyzing thermal and electrical demands, and exploring feasible energy sources to optimize system mass and cost.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of thermal and electrical energy needs for a Mars habitat and compares multiple energy sources for optimal system design.

Findings

Thermal analysis over Martian year highlights seasonal variations.

Solar, wind, nuclear, and fuel cells are evaluated as energy sources.

Preliminary configurations suggest low-mass, cost-effective energy solutions.

Abstract

This thesis work aims to study the possibility of energy production on Martian soil and, in particular, to establish what might be an optimal configuration for an energy system. This goal has been contextualized in the will to feed a scientific base, based the concept of "Mars Direct" (Robert Zubrin, 1990). This habitat has been recreated in its thermal features, in order to perform an analysis of the heat loss over a Martian year (1,88 terrestrial years). As part of this analysis, two possible scenarios have been studied: clear sky with medium solar radiation ("sun season") and sand storm season ("storm season"). Subsequently, a basic life support system have been simulated thanks to Aspen PLUS. Using the results of the thermal analysis, it has been possible to obtain a thermal and electrical demand profile for the Hab. After identifying every possible energy source (solar, wind, nuclear, fuel cells, rtg), a calculation on Excel has been set with the purpose of finding one of the configurations with the lowest possible mass and pave the way for a further, more rigorous, optimization. It is indeed clear that shipping 1 kilogram to Mars has a cost of hundreds of thousand of dollars.