Heat pipe performance experiment

Abstract

The objective of the heat pipe performance experiment is to answer questions about how heat pipe performance in space differs from heat pipe performance on the ground. This part of the experiment will attempt to account for the following: (1) gravity domination in ground testing; (2) surface tension domination in a microgravity environment; and (3) the effects of underfill and overfill. The secondary objective of the experiment is to obtain quantitative data for axial groove and porous wick heat pipes in a microgravity environment for comparison with the following: (1) analytical models; (2) ground test data; and (3) existing flight data.