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Heat pipes in space and on earthThe heat pipe is a closed tube whose inner surfaces are lined with a porous capillary wick. The wick is saturated with the liquid phase of a working fluid. The heat supplied at one end of the tube, the evaporator, causes evaporation of the working fluid. The vapor will pass to the other end of the tube, the condenser, where it will condense and release the latent heat of vaporization to a heat sink in that section of the pipe. Problems concerning a design of heat pipes for space applications are related to certain difficulties regarding the prediction of device performance under zero-g conditions. Heat pipes are usually tested on the ground under the influence of gravity, and then their performance is extrapolated to space. A description is presented of the approaches used to insure good heat pipe performance in space. Attention is given to an international heat pipe experiment conducted to accumulate zero-g performance data for several new and unique heat pipe designs, heat pipes for ATS-6, cryogenic heat pipes, and future activities.
Document ID
19780040096
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ollendorf, S.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Satellites Thermal Control Section, Greenbelt, Md., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1978
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 78-295
Meeting Information
Meeting: Annual Meeting and Technical Display
Location: Washington, DC
Start Date: February 7, 1978
End Date: February 9, 1978
Sponsors: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Accession Number
78A24005
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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