Basic Flow Description

The chamber is an open, continuous flow system, in which CO₂ flows from a high pressure bottle down to a vacuum pump. Specifically, CO₂ from a bottle (station A) is passed through a humidity generator (stations B, C, D, & E) to a critical orifice (station F), which expands the flow to Mars ambient pressure. This expansion both reduces humidity and pressure. This conditioned flow enters a test chamber (station H) which is located inside a freezer (station G) that maintains the desired Mars ambient temperature. After exiting the test chamber the gas passes through a chilled mirror hygrometer (station I), which measures the frost point. Finally, the flow passes through a cold trap (station J) and into one or two vacuum pumps (station K).

Basic Flow Schematic

Station identification

1. CO₂ bottle
2. Mass Flow Controller (MFC) #1
3. MFC #2
4. CO₂ Dryer
5. CO₂ Saturator
6. Critical Orifice
7. Low Temperature Freezer
8. Test Chamber
9. Chilled Mirror Hygrometer
10. Cold Trap
11. Vacuum pump (2 pumps in parallel)

Test Chamber