Numerical Model of the Mars Electrostatic Precipitator

NASA’s future human exploration missions will require chemical processing plants to convert local resources into consumables to support astronaut activities [1]. The thin and mostly carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars is estimated to have 1 – 10 particles/cm with diameters of 1 – 10 μm and up to 1000 particles/cm during storms [2]. The dust in the Martian atmosphere can foul chemical reactors and pose a risk to life support systems. Electrostatic precipitation (ESP) removes dust particles from the Martian atmosphere. The Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center has developed a COMSOL Multiphysics® model of an ESP for dust filtration on Mars. The fundamental principles of an ESP can be simulated by four physics modules: plasma, AC/DC electromagnetics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and particle tracing. In the ESP model presented here, the plasma module was solved to estimate particle charge. The AC/DC and CFD module were solved for the electrostatic force and fluid force. The particle-tracing module was solved for particle collection efficiency.