Metal Reduction Process
H2 / Carbothermal Reduction of Lunar Minerals
The metal reduction process is a 200-kilogram chemical refining system that converts lunar minerals like ilmenite and anorthite into refined metals and oxygen. Consuming 5,000 watts of electrical power, the unit uses hydrogen reduction at 900 °C and carbothermal reduction at 1,700 °C to produce 5 kilograms of metal and 1 kilogram of co-product oxygen per hour. Implementing these high-temperature chemical reactions on the lunar surface requires durable refractory hardware, utilizing an Inconel reactor and pyrolytic boron nitride heating elements, alongside closed-loop gas recovery to preserve hydrogen across its 20,000-hour mean time between failures.
Hydrogen and carbothermal reduction processes converting lunar oxides (ilmenite, anorthite) to metals + oxygen as co-product.
Purpose
Hydrogen and carbothermal reduction processes converting lunar oxides (ilmenite, anorthite) to metals + oxygen as co-product.
Context
Child of L2-MFG-SMELT within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Ilmenite + 3H2 -> Fe + Ti + 3H2O (at 900 C)
- ▸Carbothermal: SiO2 + 2C -> Si + 2CO at 1700 C
- ▸O2 byproduct routed to L1-WMS gas storage
- ▸Hydrogen reused via L3-ESS-FC-ELEC
- ▸Closed-loop with maximum resource recovery
Typical implementations
- ▸NASA ROxygen / RESOLVE heritage
- ▸ESA ISRU oxygen extraction studies
- ▸Mineral Processing on Lunar Surface (arXiv 2109.02201)
Lunar considerations
- ▸ISRU oxygen production critical for life support augmentation
- ▸Closed-loop H2 reuse
- ▸Long-life refractory equipment
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Hydrogen and carbothermal reduction processes converting lunar oxides (ilmenite, anorthite) to metals + oxygen as co-product. |
| metal throughput kg per hour | 5 |
| o2 co production kg per hour | 1 |
Physical
| mass kg | 200 |
| materials | Inconel reactor, PBN heating elements, 316L SS gas piping |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
Operational
| power consumption w | 5000 |
| thermal range c | -40, 70 |
| lifetime years | 20 |
| mtbf hours | 20000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Reduced metal output
- O2 byproduct to gas storage
- H2O byproduct to closed loop
Requires
- Ilmenite / anorthite feedstock
- Heater (~5 kW)
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Metal Reduction Process" (L3-MFG-SMELT-REDUC). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-MFG-SMELT-REDUC
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.