0-G experiments with advanced ceramic fabric wick structures. Testing of advanced ceramic fabric wick structures and their use in a water heat pipe.

摘要

Both Air Force and NASA future spacecraft thermal management needs span the temperature range from cryogenic to liquid metals. Many of these needs are changing and not well defined and will remain so until goals, technology, and missions converge. Nevertheless, it is certain that high-temperature (> 800 K) and medium-temperature (about 450 K) radiator systems will have to be developed that offer significant improvements over current designs. This paper discusses experiments performed in the lower temperature regime as part of a comprehensive advanced ceramic fabric (ACF) heat pipe development program. These experiments encompassed wicking tests with various ceramic fabric samples, and heat transfer tests with a 1-m long prototype ACF water heat pipe. A prototype ceramic fabric/titanium water heat pipe has been constructed and tested; it transported up to 60 W of power at about 390 K. Startup and operation both with and against gravity examined. Wick testing was begun to aid in the design and construction of an improved prototype heat pipe, with a 38-(mu)m stainless steel linear covered by a biaxially-braided Nextel (trademark of the 3M Co., St. Paul, Minnesota) sleeve that is approximately 300-(mu)m thick. Wick testing took place in 1-g; limited testing in 0-g was initiated, and results to date suggest that in 0-g, wick performance improves over that in 1-g.