PLASMA STERILIZATION AND SAFETY FOR SPACE

INDUSTRY

ENGR 4390 Intro to Plasma EngineeringShawn Robinson

10/30/13

WHAT IS PLASMA Forth state of Matter Gas Breakdown Ions Electrons Reactive Species Neutral Atoms

PLASMA DESIGN Thermal Vs. Non-Thermal AC/DC Pressure Conditions Neutral Atom Used

Plasma Jet Configuration(above)Corona Discharge (left)

SPACE BACTERIA Microbes in High Orbit 4.9 x 10(4) cells/ml No Human resistance Need to reduce colony Closely related to pathogenic species

Live cells(green) damaged cells (orange) brought back from high altitude

SPACE PACKAGING Plasma deposited silicon oxide films are

found to increase the permeation barrier of packaging materials.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is an important polymer for packaging applications and is established for various kinds of packaging solutions like bottles, containers, or foils

PLASMA CIRCUIT CCP, Microwave power is applied pulsed

within 1 ms ≤ ton ≤ 24 ms volume of up to 6 L Plasma consisting of hydrogen, nitrogen,

and oxygen

PROCESS SiOx layer Repeated use for sterilization Deposit layers or kill cells

SPACE COATINGS Shuttles entering and leaving the

atmosphere can collect these microbes To reduce the chances of contamination

protective coating can be applied Plasma sheet coatings

PLASMA CIRCUIT The thermal spray is atmospheric

microwave plasma that operates at 2.46 GHz

Argon and Nitrogen (primary gas) Hydrogen and Helium (secondary gas)

PROCESS Deposit layers without damaging parts Deposition rates are very high in

comparison to alternative coating technologies

tungsten (melting point 3400°C) is sprayed onto aluminum (melting point 660°C) without melting the aluminum

CONCLUSION Plasma has very many applications in

space Save Money Protect Health

QUESTIONS?