Design of the Air Management System for the EDEN Next Gen Ground Test Demonstrator

Abstract

There is a growing interest in human space exploration missions to Moon and Mars and the establishment of planetary outposts and habitats. Greenhouse modules contribute to the fresh food supply of the in-situ crew in order to minimise resupply from Earth and to benefit the psychological aspect of the team members. The aim of this master thesis is the development and design of the atmosphere management system of the EDEN Next Gen greenhouse module from the German Aerospace Centre in Bremen, with special focus on the ground test demonstrator. Challenges like the air flow, trace gas accumulation or the power supply arise and have to be taken into account. A concurrent engineering study was performed to compile assumptions, interfaces and requirements for a first preliminary design. Calculations of the numerical values provide a first design and dimensioning of the components. A CAD-model visualises the design and provides information on further improvement potentials. A major trade-off to be conducted for the AMS during the CE-study has been deciding between water- or air-cooled LED-systems for the illumination of the plants, due to the current size limitation of the service section inside the module. The air-cooled LED-system is selected and sets the baseline for the further design. This size limitation is a key challenge throughout the entire design of the system. The selected components that fulfil the performance requirements had to be significantly reduced in size. This means that there is no assurance that the system will be able to meet the defined requirements. This must be verified in a CFD simulation. Emphasis was placed on accessibility and redundancy concepts in the design and these concepts were implemented where possible. In addition, the adaptation for a possible space application was considered and necessary adjustments were provided. In the further course of the project, the feasibility and functionality of the developed system must be verified through tests and simulations.