• 面向月球极区水冰资源开发的太阳能聚光与传输系统设计与仿真验证

    Design and Simulation Verification of a Solar Concentrating and Transmission System for Lunar Polar Water Ice Resource Exploitation

    • 永久阴影区无法接收直射阳光,温度极低(低于110 K),且几乎不存在太阳能,导致传统能源驱动的开采方式难以持续运行。为克服这一限制,论文提出在永久阴影区边缘的光照区捕获太阳光并将其输送至阴影区内。基于这一思路,针对月球极区永久阴影区水冰资源开发中的能源供应难题,进一步设计了一种以太阳能聚光与传输为核心的光热开采系统。该系统由太阳能聚光系统、光纤传输系统和二次分光系统三部分组成。聚光系统采用菲涅尔透镜阵列与缩束镜组,将太阳光聚焦至直径9 mm、能量密度达5.6×106 W/m2的光斑,并成功耦合进入光纤束。光纤束将光能远距离、低损耗地传输至永久阴影区,随后通过二次分光系统实现光斑直径在66 mm至490 mm范围内连续调节,辐照度可在2×103 W/m2至1.18×105 W/m2之间变化。仿真结果表明,光斑均匀度优于83%,能量分布可控,满足不同开采阶段对能量密度与照射面积的需求。结合水冰升华能量阈值(>1000 W/m²)推算,系统可支持有效开采光斑直径扩展至约846 mm,具备大规模水冰资源开采潜力。该研究为月球极区水冰原位光热开采提供了可行的技术路径与理论支撑。

       

      Abstract: The permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) of the lunar polar areas receive no direct sunlight, resulting in extremely low temperatures (below 110 K) and a near-total absence of solar energy, which renders conventional solar-powered mining infeasible. To address the energy supply challenges for water ice extraction in these PSRs, this paper proposes a solar concentrating and transmission system specifically developed for photothermal mining of lunar water ice. The proposed system overcomes the energy scarcity by capturing sunlight in adjacent sunlit areas and delivering it into the PSRs via an optical path. The system is composed of three main modules: a solar concentrator, an optical fiber transmission system, and a secondary optical beam-shaping system. The solar concentrator integrates a Fresnel lens array and a beam-reducing lens group, which focuses sunlight into a spot with a diameter of 9 mm and an energy density as high as 5.6×106 W/m2. This focused beam is efficiently coupled into a fiber optic bundle, enabling long-distance, low-loss energy transmission from sunlit regions to the PSRs. Subsequently, the secondary optical system allows continuous adjustment of the output spot diameter from 66 mm to 490 mm, corresponding to an irradiance range of 2×103 W/m2 to 1.18×105 W/m2. Simulation results demonstrate that the system achieves excellent beam uniformity, with spot uniformity exceeding 83% across all configurations, and enables precise control over energy distribution. Based on the energy threshold for water ice sublimation (>1000 W/m2), the system is projected to support an effective mining spot diameter of up to 846 mm, indicating significant potential for large-scale water ice extraction. The proposed “concentration–transmission–redistribution” integrated design offers a robust and scalable solution to the energy bottleneck in lunar polar ice mining. This work provides a theoretical foundation and practical design reference for future lunar base construction, In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), and long-duration deep space exploration missions, particularly for subsequent lunar research station plans.

       

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