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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1981

Heat pipes cool probe and sandwich panel

Two concepts integrate heat-pipe technology. Probe with heat-pipe cooled jacket is self-contained, passive, and has no moving parts, unlike conventional air and water cooled probes. It is used in hostile, high temperature environments like wind tunnels and powerplants or on high-speed research and hypersonic cruise vehicles. Heat-pipe sandwich panel combines structural efficiency of sandwich with thermal efficiency of heat-pipe. It is used to eliminate thermal gradients and stresses, minimize thermal distortions, and transfer heat from one face of panel to other.

Camarda, C. J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Heat pipe radiator technology for space power systems

High-reliability high-performance deployable monogroove and dual-slot heat pipe radiator systems to meet the requirements for electric power in future space missions, such as the 300-kW(e) electric powder demand projected for NASA's Space Station, are discussed. Analytical model trade studies of various configurations show the advantages of the dual-slot heat pipe radiator for high temperature applications as well as its weight reduction potential over the 50-350 F temperature range. The ammonia-aluminum monogroove heat pipe, limited to below-180 F operating temperatures, is under development, and can employ methanol-stainless steel heat pipes to achieve operating temperatures in excess of 300 F. Dual-slot heat pipe configuration proof-of-concept testing was begun in 1985.

Carlson, A. W.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Miniature Heat Pipes

Small Business Innovation Research contracts from Goddard Space Flight Center to Thermacore Inc. have fostered the company work on devices tagged "heat pipes" for space application. To control the extreme temperature ranges in space, heat pipes are important to spacecraft. The problem was to maintain an 8-watt central processing unit (CPU) at less than 90 C in a notebook computer using no power, with very little space available and without using forced convection. Thermacore's answer was in the design of a powder metal wick that transfers CPU heat from a tightly confined spot to an area near available air flow. The heat pipe technology permits a notebook computer to be operated in any position without loss of performance. Miniature heat pipe technology has successfully been applied, such as in Pentium Processor notebook computers. The company expects its heat pipes to accommodate desktop computers as well. Cellular phones, camcorders, and other hand-held electronics are forsible applications for heat pipes.

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NASA NTRS2021

Hybrid Electric Aircraft Thermal Management: Now, New Visions and Future Concepts and Formulation

The global fuel consumption by commercial airlines has increased each year since 2009 and is predicted to reach an all-time high of 97 billion gallons in 2019. There is also an environmental impact from this: CO2 emissions from commercial passenger and freight operations totaled 918 Mt in 2018 (ICCT, 2019), or around 2.5% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Passenger transport accounted for 81% of the total. Emissions from aviation have grown 32% over the past five years. Coupled with this aspect, there is a continuous and growing need to satisfy ever-growing electrical power needs on commercial and military aircraft. All the armed services (Army, Navy, and Air Force) are continuously trying to enhance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) endurance and range across a broad fleet of different aircraft. The commercial Boeing 787 requires about 1.2MWe and that is expected to grow. Current technologies used to supply increased on-board electrical power are generally: 1) “burn more fuel and convert through on-board generators” and 2) use additional heavy (i.e., weight-inefficient) and sometimes unsafe battery systems on-board the aircraft. The aircraft industry is seeking new, innovative ways to satisfy this increasing power demand. One as-yet-untapped power source is the enormous amount of “waste” thermal energy flowing out the jet engine exhaust; some estimates in smaller “by-pass” flow jet engines is several hundreds of kilowatts (e.g., Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545B turbofan). This quantity is much higher in large jet engines associated with commercial aircraft. This large waste thermal energy manifests itself in large temperature differences within the by-pass-flow engine exhaust system relative to outside ambient conditions, because of the actual by-pass engine design configuration. There is strong need to develop thermal technologies and systems that could harness and convert at least a portion of this thermal energy into useful electrical energy to satisfy growing on-board electrical needs. In addition, there is a strong desire within the aircraft and engine manufacturing community to reduce the “carbon footprint” of the industry though reduced fuel usage worldwide. NASA has a robust aircraft electrification program to meet these desires and support industry in its aircraft electrification objectives. This program is integrating thermoacoustic systems, advanced lightweight heat exchanger technology, and advanced heat pipe technology to capture and transport large amounts of engine waste thermal energy for on-board power conversion, advanced heat-pump cooling, and exergy enhancement (i.e., temperature lift). Advanced lightweight heat exchangers are envisioned to capture engine exhaust thermal energy at approximately 673 K and deliver it to efficient thermoacoustic power conversion systems operating at temperature ratios (Thot/Tcold) > 1.6. Advanced heat pipe systems are envisioned to transport thermal energy from low temperature sources, through thermoacoustic heat pumps, to high temperature needs such as wing anti-icing, fuel pre-heating, and combustion air pre-heating. The paper will discuss the current state-of-the-art, objectives, system design architecture, and remaining technical challenges in system formulation within the NASA aircraft electrification program.

Dyson, Rodger↗

NASA NTRS1990

Heat Pipes

Bobs Candies, Inc. produces some 24 million pounds of candy a year, much of it 'Christmas candy.' To meet Christmas demand, it must produce year-round. Thousands of cases of candy must be stored a good part of the year in two huge warehouses. The candy is very sensitive to temperature. The warehouses must be maintained at temperatures of 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit with relative humidities of 38- 42 percent. Such precise climate control of enormous buildings can be very expensive. In 1985, energy costs for the single warehouse ran to more than $57,000 for the year. NASA and the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) were adapting heat pipe technology to control humidity in building environments. The heat pipes handle the jobs of precooling and reheating without using energy. The company contacted a FSEC systems engineer and from that contact eventually emerged a cooperative test project to install a heat pipe system at Bobs' warehouses, operate it for a period of time to determine accurately the cost benefits, and gather data applicable to development of future heat pipe systems. Installation was completed in mid-1987 and data collection is still in progress. In 1989, total energy cost for two warehouses, with the heat pipes complementing the air conditioning system was $28,706, and that figures out to a cost reduction.

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NASA NTRS1989

SP-100 advanced radiator designs for thermoelectric and Stirling applications

Advanced radiator designs employing carbon-carbon liquid metal heat pipe technology, which significantly reduce the mass of the heat rejection subsystem for high temperature space technology systems such as the SP-100 are discussed. This technology is being developed to address the need for lightweight heat transfer components and structures for space applications. Heat pipe and subsystem designs were optimized for thermoelectric- and Stirling-engine-based SP-100 system designs. A multiple, deployed-petal radiator concept was selected for the heat rejection subsystem design as it provided minimum mass. Radiator stowage in the space transportation system cargo bay and deployment schemes were investigated for each of the optimized designs.

Moriarty, M. P.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Theory and design of variable conductance heat pipes: Steady state and transient performance

Heat pipe technology pertinent to the design and application of self-controlled, variable conductance heat pipes for spacecraft thermal control is discussed. Investigations were conducted to: (1) provide additional confidence in existing design tools, (2) to generate new design tools, and (3) to develop superior variable conductance heat pipe designs. A computer program for designing and predicting the performance of the heat pipe systems was developed.

Edwards, D. K.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An analytical investigation of transient effects on rewetting of heated thin flat plates

The rewetting of a hot surface is a problem of prime importance in the microgravity application of heat pipe technology, where rewetting controls the time before operations can be re-established following depriming of a heat pipe. Rewetting is also important in the nuclear industry (in predicting behavior during loss-of-coolant accidents), as well as in the chemical and petrochemical industries. Recently Chan and Zhang have presented a closed-form solution for the determination of the rewetting speed of a liquid film flowing over a finite (but long) hot plate subject to uniform heating. Unfortunately, their physically unreasonable initial conditions preclude a meaningful analysis of start-up transient behavior. A new nondimensionalization and closed-form solution for an infinitely-long, uniformly-heated plate is presented. Realistic initial conditions (step change in temperature across the wetting front) and boundary conditions (no spatial temperature gradients infinitely far from the wetting front) are employed. The effects of parametric variation on the resulting simpler closed-form solution are presented and compared with the predictions of a 'quasi-steady' model. The time to reach steady-state rewetting is found to be a strong function of the initial dry-region plate temperature. For heated plates it is found that in most cases the effect of the transient response terms cannot be neglected, even for large times.

Platt, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Silicon Heat Pipe Array

Improved methods of heat dissipation are required for modern, high-power density electronic systems. As increased functionality is progressively compacted into decreasing volumes, this need will be exacerbated. High-performance chip power is predicted to increase monotonically and rapidly with time. Systems utilizing these chips are currently reliant upon decades of old cooling technology. Heat pipes offer a solution to this problem. Heat pipes are passive, self-contained, two-phase heat dissipation devices. Heat conducted into the device through a wick structure converts the working fluid into a vapor, which then releases the heat via condensation after being transported away from the heat source. Heat pipes have high thermal conductivities, are inexpensive, and have been utilized in previous space missions. However, the cylindrical geometry of commercial heat pipes is a poor fit to the planar geometries of microelectronic assemblies, the copper that commercial heat pipes are typically constructed of is a poor CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) match to the semiconductor die utilized in these assemblies, and the functionality and reliability of heat pipes in general is strongly dependent on the orientation of the assembly with respect to the gravity vector. What is needed is a planar, semiconductor-based heat pipe array that can be used for cooling of generic MCM (multichip module) assemblies that can also function in all orientations. Such a structure would not only have applications in the cooling of space electronics, but would have commercial applications as well (e.g. cooling of microprocessors and high-power laser diodes). This technology is an improvement over existing heat pipe designs due to the finer porosity of the wick, which enhances capillary pumping pressure, resulting in greater effective thermal conductivity and performance in any orientation with respect to the gravity vector. In addition, it is constructed of silicon, and thus is better suited for the cooling of semiconductor devices.

Yee, Karl Y.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Heat Pipe Systems

Solar Fundamentals, Inc.'s hot water system employs space-derived heat pipe technology. It is used by a meat packing plant to heat water for cleaning processing machinery. Unit is complete system with water heater, hot water storage, electrical controls and auxiliary components. Other than fans and a circulating pump, there are no moving parts. System's unique design eliminates problems of balancing, leaking, corroding, and freezing.

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NASA NTRS1977

Accelerated life tests of specimen heat pipe from Communication Technology Satellite (CTS) project

A gas-loaded variable conductance heat pipe of stainless steel with methanol working fluid identical to one now on the CTS satellite was life tested in the laboratory at accelerated conditions for 14 200 hours, equivalent to about 70 000 hours at flight conditions. The noncondensible gas inventory increased about 20 percent over the original charge. The observed gas increase is estimated to increase operating temperature by about 2.2 C, insufficient to harm the electronic gear cooled by the heat pipes in the satellite. Tests of maximum heat input against evaporator elevation agree well with the manufacturer's predictions.

Tower, L. K.↗

NASA NTRS1975

ERTS-C (Landsat 3) cryogenic heat pipe experiment definition

A flight experiment designed to demonstrate current cryogenic heat pipe technology was defined and evaluated. The experiment package developed is specifically configured for flight aboard an ERTS type spacecraft. Two types of heat pipes were included as part of the experiment package: a transporter heat pipe and a thermal diode heat pipe. Each was tested in various operating modes. Performance data obtained from the experiment are applicable to the design of cryogenic systems for detector cooling, including applications where periodic high cooler temperatures are experienced as a result of cyclic energy inputs.

Brennan, P. J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Space nuclear power systems; Proceedings of the 8th Symposium, Albuquerque, NM, Jan. 6-10, 1991. Pts. 1-3

The present conference discusses NASA mission planning for space nuclear power, lunar mission design based on nuclear thermal rockets, inertial-electrostatic confinement fusion for space power, nuclear risk analysis of the Ulysses mission, the role of the interface in refractory metal alloy composites, an advanced thermionic reactor systems design code, and space high power nuclear-pumped lasers. Also discussed are exploration mission enhancements with power-beaming, power requirement estimates for a nuclear-powered manned Mars rover, SP-100 reactor design, safety, and testing, materials compatibility issues for fabric composite radiators, application of the enabler to nuclear electric propulsion, orbit-transfer with TOPAZ-type power sources, the thermoelectric properties of alloys, ruthenium silicide as a promising thermoelectric material, and innovative space-saving device for high-temperature piping systems. The second volume of this conference discusses engine concepts for nuclear electric propulsion, nuclear technologies for human exploration of the solar system, dynamic energy conversion, direct nuclear propulsion, thermionic conversion technology, reactor and power system control, thermal management, thermionic research, effects of radiation on electronics, heat-pipe technology, radioisotope power systems, and nuclear fuels for power reactors. The third volume discusses space power electronics, space nuclear fuels for propulsion reactors, power systems concepts, space power electronics systems, the use of artificial intelligence in space, flight qualifications and testing, microgravity two-phase flow, reactor manufacturing and processing, and space and environmental effects.

El-Genk, Mohamed S.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Theory and design of variable conductance heat pipes

A comprehensive review and analysis of all aspects of heat pipe technology pertinent to the design of self-controlled, variable conductance devices for spacecraft thermal control is presented. Subjects considered include hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, heat transfer into and out of the pipe, fluid selection, materials compatibility and variable conductance control techniques. The report includes a selected bibliography of pertinent literature, analytical formulations of various models and theories describing variable conductance heat pipe behavior, and the results of numerous experiments on the steady state and transient performance of gas controlled variable conductance heat pipes. Also included is a discussion of VCHP design techniques.

Marcus, B. D.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Heat Pipe Precools and Reheats Dehumidified Air

Precooling and reheating by heat pipe reduces operating costs of air-conditioning. Warm air returned from air-conditioned space and cooled air supplied are precooled and reheated, respectively, by each other through a heat pipe. Heat-pipe technology brought to bear on problem of conserving airconditioning energy in hot, humid environments. Any increase in the cost of equipment due to installation of heat-pipe heat exchangers expected to be recovered in energy savings during service period of 2 years or less.

Koning, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Development of Lightweight Radiators for Lunar Based Power Systems

This report discusses application of a new lightweight carbon-carbon (C-C) space radiator technology developed under the NASA Civil-Space Technology Initiative (CSTI) High Capacity Power Program to a 20 kWe lunar based power system. This system comprises a nuclear (SP-100 derivative) heat source, a Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) power conversion unit with heat rejection by means of a plane radiator. The new radiator concept is based on a C-C composite heat pipe with integrally woven fins and a thin walled metallic liner for containment of the working fluid. Using measured areal specific mass values (1.5 kg/m2) for flat plate radiators, comparative CBC power system mass and performance calculations show significant advantages if conventional heat pipes for space radiators are replaced by the new C-C heat pipe technology.

Juhasz, Albert J.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Heat Pipe Systems

The heat pipe was developed to alternately cool and heat without using energy or any moving parts. It enables non-rotating spacecraft to maintain a constant temperature when the surface exposed to the Sun is excessively hot and the non Sun-facing side is very cold. Several organizations, such as Tropic-Kool Engineering Corporation, joined NASA in a subsequent program to refine and commercialize the technology. Heat pipes have been installed in fast food restaurants in areas where humid conditions cause materials to deteriorate quickly. Moisture removal was increased by 30 percent in a Clearwater, FL Burger King after heat pipes were installed. Relative humidity and power consumption were also reduced significantly. Similar results were recorded by Taco Bell, which now specifies heat pipe systems in new restaurants in the Southeast.

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NASA NTRS2004

Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) Loop Heat Pipes: An Eventual First Year On-Orbit

Goddard Space Flight Center's Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) is the sole scientific instrument on the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) that was launched on January 12, 2003 from Vandenberg AFB. A thermal control architecture based on propylene Loop Heat Pipe technology was developed to provide selectable/stable temperature control for the lasers and other electronics over the widely varying mission environment. Following a nominal LHP and instrument start-up, the mission was interrupted with the failure of the first laser after only 36 days of operation. During the 5-month failure investigation, the two GLAS LHPs and the electronics operated nominally, using heaters as a substitute for the laser heat load. Just prior to resuming the mission, following a seasonal spacecraft yaw maneuver, one of the LHPs deprimed and created a thermal runaway condition that resulted in an emergency shutdown of the GLAS instrument. This paper presents details of the LHP anomaly, the resulting investigation and recovery, along with on-orbit flight data during these critical events.

Grob, E.↗