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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Method for Determination of Less Than 5 ppm Oxygen in Sodium Samples

Alkali metals used in pumped loops or heat pipes must be sufficiently free of nonmetallic impurities to ensure long heat rejection system life. Life issues are well established for alkali metal systems. Impurities can form ternary compounds between the container and working fluid, leading to corrosion. This Technical Memorandum discusses the consequences of impurities and candidate measurement techniques to determine whether impurities have been reduced to suf.ciently low levels within a single-phase liquid metal loop or a closed two-phase heat transfer system, such as a heat pipe. These techniques include the vanadium wire equilibration, neutron activation analysis, plug traps, distillation, and chemical analysis. Conceptual procedures for performing vanadium wire equilibration purity measurements on sodium contained in a heat pipe are discussed in detail.

Reid, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A Conceptual Design Study on the Application of Liquid Metal Heat Transfer Technology to the Solar Thermal Power Plant

Alkali metal heat transfer technology was used in the development of conceptual designs for the transport and storage of sensible and latent heat thermal energy in distributed concentrator, solar Stirling power conversion systems at a power level of 15 kWe per unit. Both liquid metal pumped loop and heat pipe thermal transport were considered; system configurations included: (1) an integrated, focal mounted sodium heat pipe solar receiver (HPSR) with latent heat thermal energy storage; (2) a liquid sodium pumped loop with the latent heat storage, Stirling engine-generator, pump and valves located on the back side of the concentrator; and (3) similar pumped loops serving several concentrators with more centralized power conversion and storage. The focus mounted HPSR was most efficient, lightest and lowest in estimated cost. Design confirmation testing indicated satisfactory performance at all angles of inclination of the primary heat pipes to be used in the solar receiver.

Zimmerman, W. F.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Thermal Control and Enhancement of Heat Transport Capacity of Two-Phase Loops With Electrohydrodynamic Conduction Pumping

There are three kinds of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) pumping based on Coulomb force: induction pumping, ion-drag pumping, and pure conduction pumping. EHD induction pumping relies on the generation of induced charges. This charge induction in the presence of an electric field takes place due to a non-uniformity in the electrical conductivity of the fluid which can be caused by a non-uniform temperature distribution and/or an inhomogeneity of the fluid (e.g. a two-phase fluid). Therefore, induction pumping cannot be utilized in an isothermal homogeneous liquid. In order to generate Coulomb force, a space charge must be generated. There are two main mechanisms for generating a space charge in an isothermal liquid. The first one is associated with the ion injection at a metal/liquid interface and the related pumping is referred to as ion-drag pumping. Ion-drag pumping is not desirable because it can deteriorate the electrical properties of the working fluid. The second space charge generation mechanism is associated with the heterocharge layers of finite thickness in the vicinity of the electrodes. Heterocharge layers result from dissociation of the neutral electrolytic species and recombination of the generated ions. This type of pumping is referred to as pure conduction pumping. This project investigates the EHD pumping through pure conduction phenomenon. Very limited work has been conducted in this field and the majority of the published papers in this area have mistakenly assumed that the electrostriction force was responsible for the net flow generated in an isothermal liquid. The main motivation behind this study is to investigate an EHD conduction pump for a two-phase loop to be operated in the microgravity environment. The pump is installed in the liquid return passage (isothermal liquid) from the condenser section to the evaporator section. Unique high voltage and ground electrodes have been designed that generate sufficient pressure heads with very low electric power requirements making the EHD conduction pumping attractive to applications such as two-phase systems (e.g. capillary pumped loops and heat pipes). Currently, the EHD conduction pump performance is being tested on a two-phase loop under various operating conditions in the laboratory environment. The simple non-mechanical and lightweight design of the EHD pump combined with the rapid control of performance by varying the applied electric field, low power consumption, and reliability offer significant advantages over other pumping mechanisms; particularly in reduced gravity applications.

Seyed-Yagoobi, J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Alkali Metal Handling Practices at NASA MSFC

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is NASA s principle propulsion development center. Research and development is coordinated and carried out on not only the existing transportation systems, but also those that may be flown in the near future. Heat pipe cooled fast fission cores are among several concepts being considered for the Nuclear Systems Initiative. Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a capability to handle high-purity alkali metals for use in heat pipes or liquid metal heat transfer loops. This capability is a low budget prototype of an alkali metal handling system that would allow the production of flight qualified heat pipe modules or alkali metal loops. The processing approach used to introduce pure alkali metal into heat pipe modules and other test articles are described in this paper.

Salvail, Patrick G.↗
NASA NTRS2006

A Comparison of Coolant Options for Brayton Power Conversion Heat Rejection Systems

This paper describes potential heat rejection design concepts for Brayton power conversion systems. Brayton conversion systems are currently under study by NASA for Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) and surface power applications. The Brayton Heat Rejection Subsystem (HRS) must dissipate waste heat generated by the power conversion system due to inefficiencies in the thermal-to-electric conversion process. Sodium potassium (NaK) and H2O are two coolant working fluids that have been investigated in the design of a pumped loop and heat pipe space HRS. In general NaK systems are high temperature (300 to 1000 K) low pressure systems, and H2O systems are low temperature (300 to 600 K) high pressure systems. NaK is an alkali metal with health and safety hazards that require special handling procedures. On the other hand, H2O is a common fluid, with no health hazards and no special handling procedures. This paper compares NaK and H20 for the HRS pumped loop coolant working fluid. A detailed Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA) analytical model, HRS_Opt, was developed to evaluate the various HRS design parameters. It is capable of analyzing NaK or H2O coolant, parallel or series flow configurations, and numerous combinations of other key parameters (heat pipe spacing, diameter and radial flux, radiator facesheet thickness, fluid duct system pressure drop, system rejected power, etc.) of the HRS. This paper compares NaK against water for the HRS coolant working fluid with respect to the relative mass, performance, design and implementation issues between the two fluids.

Mason, Lee S.↗
NASA NTRS2006

A Comparison of Coolant Options for Brayton Power Conversion Heat Rejection Systems

This paper describes potential heat rejection design concepts for Brayton power conversion systems. Brayton conversion systems are currently under study by NASA for Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) and surface power applications. The Brayton Heat Rejection Subsystem (HRS) must dissipate waste heat generated by the power conversion system due to inefficiencies in the thermal-to-electric conversion process. Sodium potassium (NaK) and H2O are two coolant working fluids that have been investigated in the design of a pumped loop and heat pipe space HRS. In general NaK systems are high temperature (300 to 1000 K) low pressure systems, and H2O systems are low temperature (300 to 600 K) high pressure systems. NaK is an alkali metal with health and safety hazards that require special handling procedures. On the other hand, H2O is a common fluid, with no health hazards and no special handling procedures. This paper compares NaK and H2O for the HRS pumped loop coolant working fluid. A detailed Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA) analytical model, HRS_Opt, was developed to evaluate the various HRS design parameters. It is capable of analyzing NaK or H2O coolant, parallel or series flow configurations, and numerous combinations of other key parameters (heat pipe spacing, diameter and radial flux, radiator facesheet thickness, fluid duct system pressure drop, system rejected power, etc.) of the HRS. This paper compares NaK against water for the HRS coolant working fluid with respect to the relative mass, performance, design and implementation issues between the two fluids.

Siamidis, John↗
NASA NTRS1980

Space radiator trade studies for the 25 kW Power System

Advanced radiator designs which will survive the meteoroid hazard of near earth orbit for five years are evaluated for the 25 kW Power System. Weight comparisons of heat pipe radiators and pumped fluid radiators incorporating meteoroid bumpers are presented for the initial 25 kW Power System and growth versions to 250 kW. The heat pipe concept is enhanced by a new design of the thermal interface between the heat pipe and coolant loop. The results show small weight differences between the advanced heat pipe and pumped fluid concepts for heat loads up to about 50 kW. The heat pipe panels have a weight advantage for larger heat loads.

Howell, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A prototype heat pipe heat exchanger for the capillary pumped loop flight experiment

A Capillary Pumped Two-Phase Heat Transport Loop (CAPL) Flight Experiment, currently planned for 1993, will provide microgravity verification of the prototype capillary pumped loop (CPL) thermal control system for EOS. CAPL employs a heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX) to couple the condenser section of the CPL to the radiator assembly. A prototype HPHX consisting of a heat exchanger (HX), a header heat pipe (HHP), a spreader heat pipe (SHP), and a flow regulator has been designed and tested. The HX transmits heat from the CPL condenser to the HHP, while the HHP and SHP transport heat to the radiator assembly. The flow regulator controls flow distribution among multiple parallel HPHX's. Test results indicated that the prototype HPHX could transport up to 800 watts with an overall heat transfer coefficient of more than 6000 watts/sq m-deg C. Flow regulation among parallel HPHX's was also demonstrated.

Ku, Jentung↗
NASA NTRS1985

Thermal management system options for high power space platforms

Thermal Management System (TMS) design options for a high power (75kWe), low earth orbit, multimodule space platform were investigated. The approach taken was to establish a baseline TMS representative of current technology, and to make incremental improvements through successive subsystem trades that lead to a candidate TMS. The TMS trades included centralized and decentralized transport, single-phase and two-phase transport, alternate working fluids, liquid loop and heat pipe radiators, deployed fixed, body mounted and steerable radiators, and thermal storage. The subsystem options were evaluated against criteria such as weight, TMS power requirement, reliability, system isothermality penalty, and growth potential.

Sadunas, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Investigation of thermal-fluid mechanical characteristics of the Capillary Pump Loop

The main purpose is the experimental and analytical study of behavior of the Capillary Pump Loop (CPL) heat pipe system during the transient mode of operating by applying a step heat pulse to one or more evaporators. Prediction of the CPL behavior when subjected to pulse heat loading requires further study before the transient response of CPL system can be fully understood. The following tasks are discussed: (1) exploratory testing of a CPL heat pipe for transient operational conditions which could generate the type of oscillatory inlet temperature behavior observed in an earlier testing of NASA/GSFC CPL-2 heat pipe system; (2) analytical investigation of the CPL inlet section temperature oscillations; (3) design, construction and testing of a bench-top CPL test system for study of the CPL transient operation; and (4) transient analysis of a CPL heat pipe by applying a step power input to the evaporators.

Kiper, Ali M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Thermal management in space

Thermal management for space-based and lunar- or asteroid-based power generating systems is discussed. Heat pipes, pump loop systems, and advanced radiator concepts are addressed.

Hertzberg, Abraham↗
NASA NTRS1996

Emittance Measurements for a Thin Liquid Sheet Flow

The Liquid Sheet Radiator (LSR) is an external flow radiator that uses a triangular-shaped flowing liquid sheet as the radiating surface. It has potentially much lower mass than solid wall radiators such as pumped loop and heat pipe radiators, along with being nearly immune to micrometeoroid penetration. The LSR has an added advantage of simplicity. Surface tension causes a thin (100-300 microns) liquid sheet to coalesce to a point, causing the sheet flow to have a triangular shape. Such a triangular sheet is desirable since it allows for simple collection of the flow at a single point. A major problem for all external flow radiators is the requirement that the working fluid be of very low (approx. 10(sup -8) torr) vapor pressure to keep evaporative losses low. As a result, working fluids are limited to certain oils (such as used in diffusion pumps) for low temperatures (300-400 K) and liquid metals for higher temperatures. Previous research on the LSR has been directed at understanding the fluid mechanics of thin sheet flows and assessing the stability of such flows, especially with regard to the formation of holes in the sheet. Taylor studied extensively the stability of thin liquid sheets both theoretically and experimentally. He showed that thin sheets in a vacuum are stable. The latest research has been directed at determining the emittance of thin sheet flows. The emittance was calculated from spectral transmittance data for the Dow Corning 705 silicone oil. By experimentally setting up a sheet flow, the emittance was also determined as a function of measurable quantities, most importantly, the temperature drop between the top of the sheet and the temperature at the coalescence point of the sheet. Temperature fluctuations upstream of the liquid sheet were a potential problem in the analysis and were investigated.

Englehart, Amy N.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Interface Configuration Experiments (ICE) Explore the Effects of Microgravity on Fluids

The Interface Configuration Experiment (ICE) is actually a series of experiments that explore the striking behavior of liquid-vapor interfaces (i.e., fluid surfaces) in a low gravity environment under which major shifts in liquid position can arise from small changes in container shape or contact angle. Although these experiments are designed to test current mathematical theory, there are numerous practical applications that could result from these studies. When designing fluid management systems for space-based operations, it is important to be able to predict the locations and configurations that fluids will assume in containers under low-gravity conditions. The increased ability to predict, and hence control, fluid interfaces is vital to systems and/or processes where capillary forces play a significant role both in space and on the Earth. Some of these applications are in general coating processes (paints, pesticides, printing, etc.), fluid transport in porous media (ground water flows, oil recovery, etc.), liquid propellant systems in space (liquid fuel and oxygen), capillary-pumped loops and heat pipes, and space-based life-support systems. In space, almost every fluid system is affected, if not dominated, by capillarity. Knowledge of the liquid-vapor interface behavior, and in particular the interface shape from which any analysis must begin, is required as a foundation to predict how these fluids will react in microgravity and on Earth. With such knowledge, system designs can be optimized, thereby decreasing costs and complexity, while increasing performance and reliability. ICE has increased, and will continue to increase this knowledge, as it probes the specific peculiarities of current theory upon which our current understanding of these effects is based. Several versions of ICE were conducted in NASA Lewis Research Center's drop towers and on the space shuttle during the first and second United States Microgravity Laboratory missions (USML-1 and USML-2). Additional tests are planned for the space shuttle and for the Russian Mir space station. These studies will focus on interfacial problems concerning surface existence, uniqueness, configuration, stability, and flow characteristics.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1998

High-Temperature, High-Flux Multifoil Shield Developed for Space Applications

Spacecraft employing solar dynamic power systems typically use parabolic, point focus concentrators to collect solar power and direct it to the aperture of a heat receiver. Solar fluxes several thousand times the intensity of one solar constant are typically produced in the focal plane of such concentrators. Under heat loading this severe, passively cooled surfaces constructed of most engineering materials would rapidly melt. Therefore, high-temperature shielding is required to protect heat receiver surfaces and other spacecraft surfaces that may be exposed to high flux. To meet this challenge for the joint U.S./Russian Solar Dynamic Flight Demonstration Program, AlliedSignal Aerospace and the NASA Lewis Research Center developed a high-temperature, high-flux multifoil shield tolerant of extreme heat loading conditions in a vacuum environment. The shield is passively cooled, obviating the need for pumped fluid loops and/or heat pipe cooling systems with their attendant cost, mass, complexity, and reliability issues.

Kerslake, Thomas W.↗