[An experimental study of the Sabatier CO2 reduction subsytem for space station]

Objective. To develop and fabricate a prototype Sabatier CO2 reduction subsystem for long duration manned space missions. Method. The rationale, equipment and function of the Sabatier CO2 reduction subsystem were introduced. Groundbased experiments with CO2 flows equivalent to a crewsize of 3 persons were conducted to verify the operation performance of the prototype. Result. The start-up temperature is less than 165 degrees C when the start-up time is 14 min; the lean component H2/CO2 conversion efficiency is over 95 percent when H2/CO2 molar ratios is 1.9-5.0; The water produced is nearly colorless and neutral. Conclusion. The prototype Sabatier CO2 reduction subsystem is simple in operation and the test results showed that design goals were achieved.