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The Development of Novel, High-Flux, Heat Transfer Cells for Thermal Control in MicrogravityIn order to meet the future needs of thermal management and control in space applications such as the Space Lab, new heat-transfer technology capable of much larger heat fluxes must be developed. To this end, we describe complementary numerical and experimental investigations into the fundamental fluid mechanics and heat-transfer processes involved in a radically new, self contained, heat transfer cell for microgravity applications. In contrast to conventional heat pipes, the heat transfer in this cell is based on a forced droplet evaporation process using a fine spray. The spray is produced by a novel fluidic technology recently developed at Georgia Tech. This technology is based on a vibration induced droplet atomization process. In this technique, a liquid droplet is placed on a flexible membrane and is vibrated normal to itself. When the proper drop size is attained, the droplet resonates with the surface motion of the membrane and almost immediately bursts into a shower of very fine secondary droplets. The small droplets travel to the opposite end of the cell where they impact a heated surface and are evaporated. The vapor returns to the cold end of the cell and condenses to form the large droplets that are fragmented to form the spray. Preliminary estimates show that a heat transfer cell based on this technology would have a heat-flux capacity that is an order of magnitude higher than those of current heat pipes designs used in microgravity applications.
Document ID
19970000386
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Smith, Marc K.
(Georgia Inst. of Tech. Atlanta, GA United States)
Glezer, Ari
(Georgia Inst. of Tech. Atlanta, GA United States)
Date Acquired
August 17, 2013
Publication Date
September 1, 1996
Publication Information
Publication: Third Microgravity Fluid Physics Conference
Subject Category
Materials Processing
Accession Number
97N10353
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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