High effectiveness liquid droplet/gas heat exchanger for space power applications

A high-effectiveness liquid droplet/gas heat exchanger (LDHX) concept for thermal management in space is described. Heat is transferred by direct contact between fine droplets (approximately 100-300 microns in diameter) of a suitable low vapor pressure liquid and an inert working gas. Complete separation of the droplet and gas media in the zero-g environment is accomplished by configuring the LDHX as a vortex chamber.The large heat transfer area presented by the small droplets permits heat exchanger effectiveness of 0.9-0.95 in a compact, lightweight geometry which avoids many of the limitations of conventional plate and fin or tube and shell heat exchangers, such as their tendency toward single point failure. The application of the LDHX in a high temperature Brayton cycle is discussed to illustrate the performance and operational characteristics of this new heat exchanger concept.