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At least 955 records · Page 53

An electrically conductive thermal control surface for spacecraft encountering Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) atomic oxygen indium tin oxide-coated thermal blankets

An organic black thermal blanket material was coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) to prevent blanket degradation in the low Earth orbit (LEO) atomic oxygen environment. The blankets were designed for the Galileo spacecraft. Galileo was initially intended for space shuttle launch and would, therefore, have been exposed to atomic oxygen in LEO for between 10 and 25 hours. Two processes for depositing ITO are described. Thermooptical, electrical, and chemical properties of the ITO film are presented as a function of the deposition process. Results of exposure of the ITO film to atomic oxygen (from a shuttle flight) and radiation exposure (simulated Jovian environment) are also presented. It is shown that the ITO-protected thermal blankets would resist the anticipated LEO oxygen and Jovian radiation yet provide adequate thermooptical and electrical resistance. Reference is made to the ESA Ulysses spacecraft, which also used ITO protection on thermal control surfaces.

Bauer, J. L.↗

Radiative thermal conduction fronts

The discovery of the O VI interstellar absorption lines in our Galaxy by the Copernicus observatory was a turning point in our understanding of the Interstellar Medium (ISM). It implied the presence of widespread hot (approx. 10 to the 6th power K) gas in disk galaxies. The detection of highly ionized species in quasi-stellar objects' absorption spectra may be the first indirect observation of this hot phase in external disk galaxies. Previous efforts to understand extensive O VI absorption line data from our Galaxy were not very successful in locating the regions where this absorption originates. The location at interfaces between evaporating ISM clouds and hot gas was favored, but recent studies of steady-state conduction fronts in spherical clouds by Ballet, Arnaud, and Rothenflug (1986) and Bohringer and Hartquist (1987) rejected evaporative fronts as the absorption sites. Researchers report here on time-dependent nonequilibrium calculations of planar conductive fronts whose properties match well with observations, and suggest reasons for the difference between the researchers' results and the above. They included magnetic fields in additional models, not reported here, and the conclusions are not affected by their presence.

Borkowski, Kazimierz J.↗

Acoustic transducer apparatus with reduced thermal conduction

A horn is described for transmitting sound from a transducer to a heated chamber containing an object which is levitated by acoustic energy while it is heated to a molten state, which minimizes heat transfer to thereby minimize heating of the transducer, minimize temperature variation in the chamber, and minimize loss of heat from the chamber. The forward portion of the horn, which is the portion closest to the chamber, has holes that reduce its cross-sectional area to minimize the conduction of heat along the length of the horn, with the entire front portion of the horn being rigid and having an even front face to efficiently transfer high frequency acoustic energy to fluid in the chamber. In one arrangement, the horn has numerous rows of holes extending perpendicular to the length of horn, with alternate rows extending perpendicular to one another to form a sinuous path for the conduction of heat along the length of the horn.

Lierke, Ernst G.↗

Inhibition of electron thermal conduction by electromagnetic instabilities

Heat flux inhibition by electromagnetic instabilities in a hot magnetized plasma is investigated. Low-frequency electromagnetic waves become unstable due to anisotropy of the electron distribution function. The chaotic magnetic field thus generated scatters the electrons with a specific effective mean free path. Saturation of the instability due to wave-wave interaction, nonlinear scattering, wave propagation, and collisional damping is considered. The effective mean free path is found self-consistently, using a simple model to estimate saturation level and scattering, and is shown to decrease with the temperature gradient length. The results, limited to the assumptions of the model, are applied to astrophysical systems. For some interstellar clouds the instability is found to be important. Collisional damping stabilizes the plasma, and the heat conduction can be dominated by superthermal electrons.

Levinson, Amir↗

Lower-Thermal-Conductivity Tapes For Tape Automated Bonding

Foils of manganin substituted for copper foils ordinarily serving as electrical conductors on tapes used in tape automated bonding (TAB) in electronic circuits. Modification makes possible to apply TAB technology to circuits in which substantial gradients of temperature exist under design operating conditions. Other advantages include high reliability, automated assembly, and automated testing.

Young, Erick T.↗

Alignment Charts for Transport Properties Viscosity, Thermal Conductivity, and Diffusion Coefficients for Nonpolar Gases and Gas Mixtures at Low Density

Alignment charts (nomographs) designed to permit rapid calculations of the low-pressure transport properties of nonpolar gases and gas mixtures are presented. Calculations for pure gases are based on the rigorous kinetic theory of gases as applied to a realistic intermolecular force law. Mixture viscosities and conductivities are calculated from good approximations derived from rigorous theory. The properties are calculable with a precision of 2 percent or better. Accuracy depends on how well the constants characterizing the Intermolecular force law are known; if constants are derived from experimental data, results should be accurate to 5 percent or better. Force constants are tabulated for 65 gases.

Brokaw, Richard S.↗