NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Design and Testing of an Active Heat Rejection Radiator with Digital Turn-Down CapabilityNASA's proposed lunar lander, Altair, will be exposed to vastly different external environment temperatures. The challenges to the active thermal control system (ATCS) are compounded by unfavorable transients in the internal waste heat dissipation profile: the lowest heat load occurs in the coldest environment while peak loads coincide with the warmest environment. The current baseline for this fluid is a 50/50 inhibited propylene glycol/water mixture with a freeze temperature around -35 C. While the overall size of the radiator's heat rejection area is dictated by the worst case hot scenario, a turn-down feature is necessary to tolerate the worst case cold scenario. A radiator with digital turn-down capability is being designed as a robust means to maintain cabin environment and equipment temperatures while minimizing mass and power consumption. It utilizes active valving to isolate and render ineffective any number of parallel flow tubes which span across the ATCS radiator. Several options were assessed in a trade-study to accommodate flow tube isolation and how to deal with the stagnant fluid that would otherwise remain in the tube. Bread-board environmental tests were conducted for options to drain the fluid from a turned-down leg as well an option to allow a leg to freeze/thaw. Each drain option involved a positive displacement gear pump with different methods of providing a pressure head to feed it. Test results showed that a start-up heater used to generate vapor at the tube inlet held the most promise for tube evacuation. Based on these test results and conclusions drawn from the trade-study, a full-scale radiator design is being worked for the Altair mission profile.
Document ID
20150008875
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Sunada, Eric
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Birur, Gajanana C.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Ganapathi, Gani B.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Miller, Jennifer
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Berisford, Daniel
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Stephan, Ryan
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
May 26, 2015
Publication Date
July 11, 2010
Subject Category
Fluid Mechanics And Thermodynamics
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA International Conference on Environmental Systems
Location: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Start Date: July 11, 2010
End Date: July 15, 2010
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available