Characteristic analysis of extravehicular spacesuit life support cooling-power integrated system

Based on the techniques of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and heat-driven cooling system, a method of combined cooling-power for the life support system of an extravehicular activity spacesuit is proposed in this paper. This method aims to realize the integration of cooling and power, the transient of different energies and the control of the environment for the life support system of the extravehicular activity spacesuit with the theory of thermal board total energy which points the energy step used, heat recovery and the combined generation of different forms of energy. Thermodynamic analysis of the system is performed. Compared with the separate method used in the traditional spacesuit, the combined method can decrease the kinds of materials, and provide more efficient use of resources. In addition, the H₂ utilization coefficient and the total mass of the whole integrated system which are influenced by the different thermal parameters chosen for the hydrogen storage cooler are analyzed in detail, which demonstrates that LaNi₅ and LmNi_4.9Sn_0.1 can be considered for this cooling-power integrated system.