Vault Ventilation with Shielded Path
Labyrinth Ventilation with In-Line Shielding
Labyrinth ventilation with in-line shielding is a passive, 200-kilogram ducting assembly that routes atmosphere, coolant lines, and wiring into lunar vault structures without permitting line-of-sight radiation penetration. Constructed from 316L stainless steel with tungsten and high-density polyethylene plugs at each direction change, the design uses three labyrinth stages to achieve a leakage dose factor of 0.01. Because the lunar environment lacks a magnetosphere to deflect space radiation, these shielded penetrations protect internal systems while incorporating particulate and HEPA filtration, operating across a 100-year design life with zero power consumption.
Labyrinth ventilation path with in-line tungsten/HDPE shielding allowing necessary atmosphere/coolant flow without radiation leakage.
Purpose
Labyrinth ventilation path with in-line tungsten/HDPE shielding allowing necessary atmosphere/coolant flow without radiation leakage.
Context
Child of L2-RAD-VAULT within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Labyrinth path defeats line-of-sight radiation
- ▸In-line shielding plugs at each direction change
- ▸Coolant lines routed through shielded penetrations
- ▸Particulate + HEPA filtration
- ▸Periodic radiation survey verifies
Typical implementations
- ▸Nuclear facility ventilation (terrestrial)
- ▸Shielded penetration design heritage
- ▸Industrial hazmat ventilation
Lunar considerations
- ▸Coolant flow to cryogenic system through shielded paths
- ▸Power/data wiring also through shielded penetrations
- ▸Long-life passive design
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Labyrinth ventilation path with in-line tungsten/HDPE shielding allowing necessary atmosphere/coolant flow without radiation leakage. |
| labyrinth stages | 3 |
| leakage dose factor | 0.01 |
Physical
| mass kg | 200 |
| materials | Tungsten plug inserts, 316L SS ducting, HEPA filters |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
Operational
| power consumption w | 0 |
| thermal range c | -40, 70 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
| mtbf hours | 1000000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Coolant + atmosphere supply with maintained shielding
Requires
- Coolant supply
- Atmosphere if vault is shared with habitat
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Vault Ventilation with Shielded Path" (L3-RAD-VAULT-VENT). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-RAD-VAULT-VENT
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.