Design and Demonstration of Heat Pipe Cooling for NASP and Evaluation of Heating Methods at High Heating Rates.

摘要

An evaluation of two heating methods for demonstration of NASP leading edge heat pipe technology was conducted. The heating methods were and RF induction heated plasma jet and direct rf induction. Tests were conducted to determine coupling from the argon plasma jet on a surface physically similar to a heat pipe. A molybdenum tipped calorimeter was fabricated and installed in an RF induction heated plasma jet for the test. The calorimetric measurements indicated a maximum power coupling of approximately 500 W/sq cmwith the rf plasma jet. The effect of change in gas composition on the heating rate was investigated using helium. An alternative to the plasma heating of a heat pipe tip, an RF concentrator was evaluated for coupling to the hemispherical tip of a heat pipe. A refractory metal heat pipe was designed, fabricated, and tested for the evaluation. The heat pipe was designed for operation at 1400 to 1900 K with power input to 1000 W/sq cm over a hemispherical nose tip. Power input of 800 W/sq cm was demonstrated using the RF concentrator. 2 refs., 13 figs.