<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In order to meet heat rejection requirements for future NASA exploration, scientific, and discovery missions, a study is being conducted for the feasibility of integral variable conductance planar heat pipe (VCPHP) technology. This represents a novel, low technology readiness level (TRL) heat rejection technology that, when developed, could operate efficiently and reliably across a wide range of thermal environments. The concept consists of a planar heat pipe whose evaporator acquires the excess thermal energy from the thermal control system and rejects it at its condenser whose outer surface acts as a radiating surface. The heat pipe is made from thermally conductive polymers in order to minimize its mass. It has a non-condensable gas that changes the active radiator surface depending on the heat load. A mathematical model of steady-state variable conductance heat pipe is developed. Two planar heat pipes are designed, fabricated, and tested to validate the theoretical model. The feasibility of the proposed VCPHP working in a space environment is discussed, based on the model.</p>
</abstract>

In order to meet heat rejection requirements for future NASA exploration, scientific, and discovery missions, a study is being conducted for the feasibility of integral variable conductance planar heat pipe (VCPHP) technology. This represents a novel, low technology readiness level (TRL) heat rejection technology that, when developed, could operate efficiently and reliably across a wide range of thermal environments. The concept consists of a planar heat pipe whose evaporator acquires the excess thermal energy from the thermal control system and rejects it at its condenser whose outer surface acts as a radiating surface. The heat pipe is made from thermally conductive polymers in order to minimize its mass. It has a non-condensable gas that changes the active radiator surface depending on the heat load. A mathematical model of steady-state variable conductance heat pipe is developed. Two planar heat pipes are designed, fabricated, and tested to validate the theoretical model. The feasibility of the proposed VCPHP working in a space environment is discussed, based on the model.

Compact Heat Rejection System Utilizing Integral Variable <italic>Conductance Planar</italic> Heat Pipe Radiator for Space Application

Gravitational and Space Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Compact Heat Rejection System Utilizing Integral Variable  Heat Pipe Radiator for Space Application

In order to meet heat rejection requirements for future NASA exploration, scientific, and discovery missions, a study is being conducted for the feasibility of...

Compact Heat Rejection System Utilizing Integral Variable Conductance Planar Heat Pipe Radiator for Space Application

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Dec 01, 2015

Page range: 30 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2015-0009

© 2015 Kuan-Lin Lee et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.