This paper presents and describes the test campaign of a low-cost Loop Heat Pipes (LHP) design. LHP have been around for many decades now. Their potential as passive heat transfer devices has been widely demonstrated in numerous both ground- and space-based applications. One of the major disadvantages of LHP is their inherent high manufacturing cost; this is the main factor why LHP are still confined to niche/high end applications such as thermal management of spacecrafts. This paper proposes to use an alternative manufacturing design for the LHP evaporator, which is the main contributor to the overall LHP cost. Preliminary thermal results are also reported and briefly explained. Future work is needed to confirm the promising results discussed in this paper and address fully other issues such as tolerance of this LHP design to vibrations and accelerations typical of space missions.
References
[1]
Maidanik, Y.F., Vershinin, S., Kholodov, V. and Dolggirev, J. (1985) Heat Transfer Apparatus. US Patent No. 4515209.
[2]
Delil, A.M., Maydanik, Yu.F. and Gernard, C. (2003) Development of Different Novel Loop Heat Pipes within the ISTC-1360 Project. SAE Paper No. 2003-01-2383.
[3]
Swanson, D.T. (2004) Thermal Control Technologies for Complex Spacecraft Systems. Proceedings of 13th International Heat Pipe Conference, Shanghai, 21-25 September 2004, China Astronautic Publishing House, Beijing.
[4]
Hoang, T.T., Cummings, S.M., Baldauff, R.W. and Brown, M.A. (2002) Advanced Loop Heat Pipes for Spacecraft Central Thermal Bus Concept. 12th International Heat Transfer Conference, Grenoble, August 2002.
[5]
Goncharov, A.K., Barantsevich, V.L. and Orlov, A.A. (2003) Experience of Development of Heat Pipes Applied in Russian Spacecrafts. Proceedings of Fifth Minsk International Seminar Heat Pipes, Heat Pumps, Refrigerators, Minsk, 8-11 September 2003.
[6]
Riehl, R.R. and Dutra, T. (2005) Development of an Experimental Loop Heat Pipe for Application in Future Space Missions. Applied Thermal Engineering, 25, 101-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2004.05.010
[7]
Semenov, S.Y., Cho, W.L. and Jensen, S.M. (2006) High Conductance Loop Heat Pipes for Space Application. AIP Conference Proceedings, 813, 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.2169178
[8]
Mishkinis, D. and Vasiliev, L. (2004) Heat Pipe Two-Phase Loop with Capillary Pump. The Update Journal of the Heat Exchanger Design Handbook, Begell House, Redding.
[9]
Vasiliev, L., Lossouarn, D., Romestant, C., Alexandre, A., Bertin, Y., Piatsiushyk, Y. and Romanenkov, V. (2009) Loop Heat Pipe for Cooling of High-Power Electronic Components. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 52, 301-308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2008.06.016
Chernysheva, M.A., Vershinin, S.V. and Maydanik, Y.F. (2007) Operating Temperature and Distribution of a Working Fluid in LHP. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 50, 2704-2713. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2006.11.020
[12]
Cheung, K., Hoang, T.T., Ku, J. and Kaya, T. (1998) Thermal Performance and Operational Characteristics of Loop Heat Pipe (NRL LHP). International Conference on Environmental Systems, Danvers, 13-16 July 1998.
[13]
Khrustalev, K. (2007) Modeling Transient Operation of Loop Heat Pipes Using Thermal Desktop. TFAWS, Cleveland, 10-13 September.
[14]
Parker, M.L. (2000) Modeling of Loop Heat Pipes with Applications to Spacecraft Thermal Control. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.
[15]
Shukla, K.N. (2008) Thermo-Fluid Dynamics of Loop Heat Pipe Operation. International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 35, 916-920. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2008.04.020
[16]
Cullimore, B.A. (1993) Capillary Pumped Loop Application Guide. 23rd International Conference on Environmental Systems, Colorado Springs, 12-15 July 1993, SAE Paper No.932156.
[17]
Nagano, H., Nagai, H., Fukuyoshi, F. and Ogawa, H. (2008) Study of Thermal Performances of a Small Loop Heat Pipe. Journal of Thermal Sciences and Technology, 3, 355-367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1299/jtst.3.355
[18]
Maydanik, Y.F. (2004) Miniature Loop Heat Pipes. Proceedings of 13th International Heat Pipe Conference, Shanghai, 21-25 September 2004, China Astronautic Publishing House, Beijing.
[19]
Zhang, L., Xu, J. and Xu, H. (2013) Effect of Inventory on the Heat Performance of Copper-Water Loop Heat Pipe. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 44, 875-882. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2012.09.030
[20]
North, M.T., Sarraf, D.B., Rosenfeld, J.H., Maidanik, Y.F. and Vershinin, S. (1997) High Heat Flux Loop Heat Pipes. Sixth European Symposium on Space Environmental Control Systems, Noordwijk, 20-22 May 1997.
[21]
Rosenfeld, J.H., Sarraf, D.B., Khrustalev, D.K., Wellen, P.J. and North, M.T. (1999) Loop Heat-Pipe Evaporator with Bidisperse Wick Structures. NASA Tech Briefs.
[22]
Ku, J., Nagano, H., Perez, J. and Rogers, P. (2006) Thermal Performance of a Low-Cost Loop Heat Pipe. Annals of the Assembly for International Heat Transfer Conference, Begell House, Redding.
[23]
Vasiliev Jr., L.L. (2007) Advanced Loop Heat Pipe Evaporator with Ceramic Nanostructured Composite of Alumina, Alumina-Silica Oxide as a Wick Structure. SAE Technical Paper 2007-01-3192.
[24]
Vasiliev Jr., L.L., Marengo, M., Ferrandi, C., Zinna, S. and Maziuk, V. (2009) Advanced Design of a “Low-Cost” Loop Heat Pipe. SAE Technical Paper 2009-01-2519.
[25]
Launay, S., Sartre, V. and Bonjour, J. (2007) Parametric Analysis of Loop Heat Pipe Operation: A Literature Review. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 46, 621-636. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2006.11.007
