Advanced Single Phase Thermal Radiator for Moon-to-Mars Exploration

Pumped loop radiators are commonly used to reject large amounts of heat associated with crewed systems. The State-of-the-Art (SOA) for crewed systems is represented by the International Space Station (ISS) External Heat Rejection System (HRS) Thermal Radiators. The ISS HRS utilizes a manifold design with many parallel flow paths coupled to thin face-sheets and low viscosity ammonia as the working fluid, which may not be preferred due to toxicity concerns. Although contemporary coolant choices provide lower freezing points, the current SOA design may not be well positioned to provide both sufficient heat transfer and manageable pressure drop due to very different fluid thermo-physical properties, including higher viscosities. The planned development of an advanced single phase, pumped loop thermal radiator utilizing a serpentine flow path with high thermally conductive face-sheets is presented herein.