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ESDMD #0903: Power Management and Distribution between Surface Elements

An independent power management and distribution (PMAD) infrastructure that moves multi-kW power at high voltage over kilometer distances between surface elements, in dust and extreme environments (bin 3, rating 24 of 57). No such option exists today; ISS distributes 120–160 Vdc over tens of meters. The Foundational Exploration target is 20 kW available between elements. It is named in the Moon Base Users Guide (near-term) more often than any other gap: solar power, electrical connections, wireless charging and initial habitation (Tech gaps spreadsheet, ESDMD #0903; Users Guide, pp. 12–13).

Quotations below are from row ESDMD #0903 of the tech gaps spreadsheet unless marked otherwise. ADD Rev C's Appendix D prints the same table for this gap, and it matches the row field for field (ADD Rev C, p. 246).

Description

"Traditional surface power infrastructure is limited to systems that could be packaged and deployed with surface assets in a single launch. Given the increased power requirements and larger distribution of surface assets, there is value in an independent power management and distribution (PMAD) infrastructure that can efficiently manage power transfers between assets at a variety of distances from each other while minimizing overall mass and power loss. It is desirable to have PMAD solutions that focus on reducing overall system mass and power loss while providing high reliability and long-duration operating lifetimes in extreme environments."

Impacts and benefits: "Without gap closure, power systems would be required to run independently of each other and would need to carry their own energy storage/power generation/power support systems, which can cause penalties to the estimated launch and landing mass for all elements. With gap closure and the ability to interchange power, total system robustness and resiliency of elements can be increased, and risk decreased."

Current state of the art

"ISS produces ~200 kW and distributes power at 120-160 Vdc across distances of 10s of meters. There are no current PMAD options capable of distributing multi-kW power at high voltage over km-scale distances in harsh surface environments."

Performance target

  • Moon/Mars: "Robust power management and distribution solutions for long-duration operations in extreme environments. Consistent design guidelines for PMAD interfacing between surface power and surface assets, allowing for modularity and resiliency to off-nominal scenarios. Design to minimize system mass for PMAD transfer infrastructure (from power source to user)."
  • Moon: "In addition, the target surface power available between elements for FE segment is 20 kW."
  • Mars: "In addition, increased reliability compared to the lunar performance target."

The Users Guide's Phase 1 power target is "Demonstrate 5 kW power generation and storage" (Users Guide, p. 10). The sources do not relate the Foundational Exploration segment to Moon Base Phase 1, so the two figures should not be read as conflicting.

Child gaps

  • 0903-01: Power management systems for long-duration lunar and Martian missions
  • 0903-02: Reliable, rad-hard electronic power converters
  • 0903-03: High-power energy transmission and distribution between surface assets
  • 0903-04: Power transfer in dusty surface environments

Traceability

  • Use cases and functions: UC-P-301 L -- All FN; UC-P-302 L -- All FN; UC-P-301 M -- FN-P-303 M; UC-P-302 M -- FN-P-303 M
  • Definition tasks: none listed

Segments and sub-architectures

Priority

Priority bin 3, overall prioritization rating 24 of 57. The rating is "the gap's location in the prioritized list of gaps", so 1 is the highest priority, and bins group gaps of similar priority, bin 1 highest. Criticality, urgency, breadth and depth set the order; cost is not considered (ADD Rev C, pp. 78, 199; method on the gaps index).

Moon Base relevance

The Users Guide names #0903 for four associated challenges (Users Guide, pp. 12–13):

  • "Solar power": "Deploying systems to generate, store, and distribute solar power requires precise knowledge of lighting conditions and array performance, as well as systems robust to the lunar environment."
  • "Electrical connections": "Connecting systems and sharing power on the lunar surface requires dust tolerant connections and the ability to deploy cables."
  • "Wireless charging": "Demonstrating wireless charging for rovers requires both detailed knowledge of the lunar environment and interoperable wireless power systems that work in that environment."
  • "Initial habitation": "Demonstrate deployment and operation of a small, pressurized, crew rated surface module with a minimal environmental control and life support system and externally supplied power."

The guide ties its challenges to "near-term Moon Base development efforts": missions in phase one "offer opportunities to collect data and mature technologies to enable essential phase two and phase three capabilities" (p. 11). See Technology and knowledge challenges.

Same subject in the Ignition material (the pairing is the wiki's; the deck names no gap). The Moon Base Program's Ignition deck has Phase 2 demonstrations on the subjects of "Wireless charging" and "Electrical connections": "Demonstrate wireless charging for Rovers", "Demonstrate dust tolerant electrical connectors" and "Demonstrate electrical cable deployment". Phase 3, "Enabling Power Distribution", has "Power distribution deployed to support habitats and surface assets", with wireless charging, dust tolerant electrical connectors and electrical cable deployment under it (slide 54) (Ignition deck 2, slide 54). Phase 2's solar key mission includes an "Early demonstration of solar array deployment, battery systems, & power distribution hub" (slide 23), and partners may bring "Power cable deployment rover demo(s)" in Phase 2 and "Power cable deployment rovers" in Phase 3 (slide 57) (Ignition deck 2, slides 23 and 57). For the guide's "Initial habitation" challenge, the deck's Phase 2 "Demo Habitation" has "Early pressurized module(s) with minimal environmental control and life support systems supported by external power" (slide 62), close to the guide's "minimal environmental control and life support system and externally supplied power" (Ignition deck 2, slide 62). The deck gives no power level, voltage or distance for any of these. The tables by phase are on Phases.

Sources

Tech gaps spreadsheet, ESDMD #0903 · ADD Rev C, pp. 78, 199, 246 · Users Guide, pp. 10, 12–13 · Lunar power white paper, p. 5 · Ignition deck 2, slides 23, 54, 57, 62