Thermal mining is a promising architecture, which may provide reliable and ‘dirt-simple’ means of production of space-sourced water, oxygen and rocket propellant in the future. It is especially tailored to water ice deposits that exist within lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions, where our quest for riches of the Outer Space might begin.

Here, the thermal mining extraction system is simulated and analysed with combined heat and mass transfer FEM modelling. The results exhibited that water extraction on the Moon might follow specific production phases, which closely relate to changes in the sublimation interface movement over large timeframes. The production behaviour on the Moon might have many characteristics of relevant production systems on Earth. This may open door for many well-established terrestrial models and production projections to be refitted to extraterrestrial case.

It was found that the required water yields of the thermal mining architecture, which make its case economically and commercially viable, are hard to reach without production optimization and new systems development. The production is projected to be significantly hindered by sublimation lag build-up, which would create thermal insulation for the icy deposits. Sublimation lag removal and other strategies might be the answer to that problem.

热采矿是一种有前途的架构，将来可能会提供可靠且“简单的”方式生产天基水，氧气和火箭推进剂。它特别适合于月球永久阴影区域内存在的水冰沉积物，在这里我们可能会开始探索外太空的财富。

在此，利用传热与传质FEM建模相结合的方法对热采开采系统进行了仿真和分析。结果表明，月球上的水提取可能遵循特定的生产阶段，这与升华界面在较长时间内的运动变化密切相关。月球上的生产行为可能具有地球上相关生产系统的许多特征。这可能为许多已建立的地面模型和生产预测重新打开以适应地球外情况打开了大门。

人们发现，如果不优化生产和开发新系统，很难达到热采建筑所需的水产量，从而使其在经济上和商业上都可行。预计升华滞后的形成将严重阻碍生产，这将为冰冷的沉积物提供隔热作用。升华滞后消除和其他策略可能是该问题的答案。