A prototype heat pipe heat exchanger for the capillary pumped loop flight experimentA Capillary Pumped Two-Phase Heat Transport Loop (CAPL) Flight Experiment, currently planned for 1993, will provide microgravity verification of the prototype capillary pumped loop (CPL) thermal control system for EOS. CAPL employs a heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX) to couple the condenser section of the CPL to the radiator assembly. A prototype HPHX consisting of a heat exchanger (HX), a header heat pipe (HHP), a spreader heat pipe (SHP), and a flow regulator has been designed and tested. The HX transmits heat from the CPL condenser to the HHP, while the HHP and SHP transport heat to the radiator assembly. The flow regulator controls flow distribution among multiple parallel HPHX's. Test results indicated that the prototype HPHX could transport up to 800 watts with an overall heat transfer coefficient of more than 6000 watts/sq m-deg C. Flow regulation among parallel HPHX's was also demonstrated.
Document ID
19920065260
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ku, Jentung (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Yun, Seokgeun (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Kroliczek, Edward J. (OAO Corp. Greenbelt, MD, United States)