A Review of Recent Advances in Heat Exchanger Technology and Future Applications

This talk describes current and historical efforts concerning the development of condensing heat exchangers for use in space systems. These devices are used for a wide range of applications, including humidity/environmental control and multiphase fluid systems in Earth and in space. Therefore, keeping these systems running consistently and with minimal downtime/repairs is a high priority for exploration life support. Recent advances in low gravity capillary fluidics can be applied to newer systems and offer continuous operation in the event of a system pump failure or blockage. Additionally, new methods in femtosecond laser processing have been used to create microbial resistant surfaces with unique wetting characteristics. This research builds on experiments at both Glenn Research Center and Johnson Space Center. Future applications of this work will also be discussed, including water processing and plant growth systems.