Storage : O² / Carbon / Nitrogen dynamic storage
Re: Storage : O² / Carbon / Nitrogen dynamic storage
Author: Greg
Very good point. I'd agree that for system stability, the reserves of critical components should be much larger than the amounts involved in daily consumption.
Your suggestion of using plants (i.e carbohydrates) to store carbon mimics nature, generally a good idea. Using organic material to store both carbon and energy also has a long history of practical application. Should probably note that burning stuff 1) splits the carbohydrates into atmospheric carbon (CO2) and solid carbon (graphite), and 2) sucks O2 out of the air to combine with the hydrogen part of the carbohydrates to make water.
I've generally considered the primary reservoir of oxygen to be the atmosphere, and have thought to use compressed air to regulate pressure inside a habitat in concert with the outside environment (to keep the structure from exploding/imploding). However, your suggestion to stockpile O2 from plant photosynthesis, is probably a good one that has got me thinking about how nature does it. Holding it as a gas may be the simplest mechanical solution, but I'm wondering if nature may have a more elegant way.
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Author: Greg
Very good point. I'd agree that for system stability, the reserves of critical components should be much larger than the amounts involved in daily consumption.
Your suggestion of using plants (i.e carbohydrates) to store carbon mimics nature, generally a good idea. Using organic material to store both carbon and energy also has a long history of practical application. Should probably note that burning stuff 1) splits the carbohydrates into atmospheric carbon (CO2) and solid carbon (graphite), and 2) sucks O2 out of the air to combine with the hydrogen part of the carbohydrates to make water.
I've generally considered the primary reservoir of oxygen to be the atmosphere, and have thought to use compressed air to regulate pressure inside a habitat in concert with the outside environment (to keep the structure from exploding/imploding). However, your suggestion to stockpile O2 from plant photosynthesis, is probably a good one that has got me thinking about how nature does it. Holding it as a gas may be the simplest mechanical solution, but I'm wondering if nature may have a more elegant way.
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