Heat flow measurement of lunar regolith simulant using dual probes

The moon, as the closest celestial body to the earth, is of great scientific significance. Firstly, thermal exploration of the moon helps us to obtain thermal physical parameters of the in situ lunar soil. Secondly, through thermal exploration we can obtain the distribution of heat-generating elements on the moon, and it is crucial for us to study the formation and evolutionary history of the moon. Furthermore, it lays the groundwork for the establishment of lunar bases and exploration of lunar resources in the near future. This paper introduces a lunar regolith simulant thermophysical parameters measurement system based on dual-probe structure, including lunar regolith simulant, dual probes, temperature acquisition board, and upper computer. The paper focuses on the dual-probe structure and the acquisition principle of the PT100. Dual-probe system capable of measuring the thermal conductivity, local heat flow, and thermal diffusion coefficient simultaneously, while working alone as a single-probe system to measure thermal conductivity. In this paper dual probes are employed to measure the temperature response curve of lunar regolith simulant and invert the heat flow. The simulation and experimental results show that the dual-probe measurement system has high reliability and operability, and can be used in future lunar exploration projects. The error sources of the dual-probe measurement system and the future work are analyzed at the end of the paper.