High capacity demonstration of honeycomb panel heat pipesHigh capacity honeycomb panel heat pipes were investigated as heat rejection radiators on future space platforms. Starting with a remnant section of honeycomb panel measuring 3.05-m long by 0.127-m wide that was originally designed and built for high-efficiency radiator fins, features were added to increase thermal transport capacity and thus permit test evaluation as an integral heat transport and rejection radiator. A series of subscale panels were fabricated and reworked to isolate individual enhancement features. Key to the enhancement was the addition of a liquid sideflow that utilizes pressure priming. A prediction model was developed and correlated with measured data, and then used to project performance to large, space-station size radiators. Results show that a honeycomb panel with 5.08-cm sideflow spacing and core modification will meet the design load of a 50 kW space heat rejection system.
Document ID
19870045392
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Tanzer, H. J. (Hughes Aircraft Co. Torrance, CA, United States)
Cerza, M. R., Jr. (Hughes Aircraft Co. Torrance, CA, United States)
Hall, J. B. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)