H₂EM VACUUM PLASMA CUTTER (VPC)

PUBLICATION

H₂EM Plasma Cutter Module — Vacuum and Terrestrial: A Closed-Loop Electromagnetic Plasma Architecture for EVA Cutting, Welding, and Ablation in Deep-Space, Orbital, and Terrestrial Operations

H₂EM-VPC v2  |  SPACE SYSTEMS  |  2026

ABSTRACT

No operational plasma cutting or welding capability currently exists for extravehicular activity (EVA) in vacuum and microgravity. Crews on orbit are constrained to mechanical cutting tools — hand saws, bolt cutters, and abrasive wheels — imposing severe limits on emergency repair, structural salvage, and large-structure assembly. This paper presents the H₂EM Vacuum Plasma Cutter (H₂EM-VPC), a governed electromagnetic plasma architecture for EVA cutting, welding, and surface ablation in vacuum and microgravity, designed as an NGLS (Next-Generation Logistics Sled) module within the Griffiths Canon.

The architecture is built on a single consumable: water. Point-of-use microwave hydrogen cracking converts water to H₂ on demand; EM-governed plasma ignition and field confinement produce a shaped, adjustable plasma jet at the tool head. The principal innovation is a closed O₂ recirculation loop: oxygen separated from the cracker output is recombined with recovered H₂ in an on-sled fuel cell, returning water to the tank and partially offsetting the cracker's electrical load. Net consumable loss per sortie is limited to the trace H₂ consumed in metal reactions and plasma entrainment. The system carries no stored flammable gas, no cryogens, and no pyrotechnic ignition.

The plasma jet column is governed by the Cracking Governance Ratio G_cut, an EM field-topology parameter that controls jet length, energy density, and cut profile in real time. Four operating modes are defined: Standby, Pilot, Cut/Weld, and Safe. DIGSP (Distributed Intelligent Governance and Supervisory Protocol) supervisory governance integrates the cutter as a standard NGLS module, sharing the sled power bus and thermal loop. Any NGLS-equipped vehicle can host the cutter without a bespoke platform.

KEYWORDS

MISSION ROLE

The H₂EM-VPC is designed to perform three primary functions in vacuum and microgravity: Cutting — severing structural members, panels, trusses, fasteners, and cables in vacuum across aluminium alloys (Al 6061, Al 7075), titanium alloys (Ti-6Al-4V), and structural steels at 1–25 mm thickness; Welding and repair — local joining, patching, and reinforcement of metal structures via H₂ plasma jet fusion welding; and Ablation — controlled removal of surface coatings, insulation, fouling, oxide layers, and thermally damaged material at precision depth.

Operational environments: Low Earth Orbit (LEO) including ISS and commercial stations; cislunar space including Gateway and lunar orbital platforms; vacuum, microgravity, and thermal cycling (−70°C to +120°C orbital environment). Operator interface: human EVA operator with gloved hands, or robotic arm end-effector.

DUAL-USE ARCHITECTURE: VPC-V AND VPC-T

A plasma jet that is stable in hard vacuum is trivially stable in atmosphere. This creates a dual-use product line from a single H₂EM core: the VPC-V (vacuum) for EVA operations, and the VPC-T (terrestrial) as a portable workshop plasma cutter and welder. Both variants share the same H₂EM spine — water tank, microwave cracker, EM kernel ignition and confinement, closed O₂ loop — and differ only in thermal management, jet confinement geometry, and operational envelope.

The VPC-T eliminates the foundational constraints of all existing terrestrial plasma cutters: no gas cylinders, no compressor, no stored flammable gas. It runs on water and electricity alone. The VPC-T sled module (without closed O₂ loop) is estimated at 12–18 kg — fully portable at the lower end. Power draw: 2–3 kW at full cut-mode, compatible with a 16A single-phase mains supply or portable generator.

IP STATEMENT

The closed O₂ recirculation loop for a vacuum plasma cutter and the G_cut plasma jet governance architecture are the intellectual property of AEMS LLC. All rights reserved.

PUBLICATION RECORD

Zenodo Preprint — AEMS LLC / Griffiths Canon