High-altitude Cooling III : Radiators
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CHARTS-RADIATORS↗
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Summary of activities
Four space projects' activities are summarized. Design work on the Mars Penetrator Project, in cooperation with the NASA Ames Research Center, is being continued. Efforts are focused on the drilling mechanism which must penetrate the martian subsurface soil to collect and retrieve an uncontaminated sample. The new design consists of a rotary-percussive drill mechanism. This mechanism is optimum for dry drilling, necessary to avoid contamination of the soil sample, in many different soil types. The need for a small, relatively inexpensive device to study the chemical structure of this martian soil was also established. The egg design was chosen for its low cost compared to other systems and potential for a large number of eggs to be deployed on the martian surface. The design process included analysis of the dynamics of reentry, dissipation of heat during reentry, impact with the surface, access to undisturbed soil samples, and ability to gather samples from the soil at three depths. The egg consists of the reentry systems, soil probe lifting system, soil probe package, gas chromatograph, transmitter, and battery power supply. The egg must function only once, but is designed to withstand one martian year. The Mars Mole is designed as a rover-based device which penetrates the martian soil to a depth of up to 10 m, obtains a sample of soil, and returns it to the surface for analysis. The mole was designed to meet the following specifications: (1) weight less than 10 kg; (2) size less than 20 x 20 x 30 cm; (3) power less than 100 W; (4) ability to obtain a sample of at least 5 cc; (5) ability to penetrate fine, loose sand; and (6) need to obtain at least one sample. The space station umbilical connector project is a device which provides the translational motion of the connectors on the Space Station Freedom to allow engagement for power and data transfer. The design is capable of delivering a 20 lb force within the necessary tolerances and will operate reliably in the space environment.
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Design and application of electromechanical actuators for deep space missions
This progress report documents research and development efforts performed from August 16, 1993 through February 15, 1994 on NASA Grant NAG8-240, 'Design and Application of Electromechanical Actuators for Deep Space Missions.' Following the executive summary are four report sections: Motor Selection, Tests Stand Development, Health Monitoring and Fault Management, and Experiment Planning. Three specific motor types have been considered as prime movers for TVC EMA applications: the brushless dc motor, the permanent magnet synchronous motor, and the induction motor. The fundamental finding was that, in general, the primary performance issues were energy efficiency and thermal dissipation (rotor heating). In terms of all other issues, the three motor types were found to compare quite equally. Among the design changes made to the test stand since the last progress report is the addition of more mounting holes in the side beams. These additional holes allow the movable end beam to be attached in a greater number of positions than previously. With this change the movable end beam can move from full forward to full back in three inch increments. Specific mathematical details on the approach that have been employed for health monitoring and fault management (HMFM) have been reported previously. This approach is based on and adaptive Kalman filter strategy. In general, a bank of filters can be implemented for each primary fault type. Presently under consideration for the brushless dc machine are the following faults: armature winding open-circuits, armature winding short-circuits (phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground), bearing degradation, and rotor flux weakening. The mechanically oriented experiments include transient loading experiments, transverse loading experiment, friction experiment, motor performance experiment, and HMFM experiment.
Haskew, Tim A.↗
Improved Solid-State Microanemometer
Improved solid-state microanemometer suitable for measuring flows in variety of biomedical, industrial, and other applications. Small size, unique design, and one-piece construction provides combination of short response time, structural rigidity, optimal dissipation of heat, and versatility in application. Device includes four integral sensing resistors exposed to flow measured and serves as hot-film anemometer subunits. Sensing resistors connected to external excitation-and-measurement circuits operating in any of standard hot-film-anemometer modes; constant input voltage, constant input current, or constant resistance with feedback.
Henderson, H. Thurman↗
Variable Emissivity Through MEMS Technology
This paper discusses a new technology for variable emissivity (vari-e) radiator surfaces, which has significant advantages over traditional radiators and promises an alternative design technique for future spacecraft thermal control systems. All spacecraft rely on radiative surfaces to dissipate waste heat. These radiators have special coatings, typically with a low solar absorptivity and a high infrared-red emissivity, that are intended to optimize performance under the expected heat load and thermal sink environment. The dynamics of the heat loads and thermal environment make it a challenge to properly size the radiator and often require some means of regulating the heat rejection rate of the radiators in order to achieve proper thermal balance. Specialized thermal control coatings, which can passively or actively adjust their emissivity offer an attractive solution to these design challenges. Such systems would allow intelligent control of the rate of heat loss from a radiator in response to heat load and thermal environmental variations. Intelligent thermal control through variable emissivity systems is well suited for nano and pico spacecraft applications where large thermal fluctuations are expected due to the small thermal mass and limited electric resources. Presently there are three different types of vari-e technologies under development: Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) louvers, Electrochromic devices, and Electrophoretic devices. This paper will describe several prototypes of micromachined (MEMS) louvers and experimental results for the emissivity variations measured on theses prototypes. It will further discuss possible actuation mechanisms and space reliability aspects for different designs. Finally, for comparison parametric evaluations of the thermal performances of the new vari-e technology and standard thermal control systems are presented in this paper.
Darrin, Ann Garrison↗
Spinoff from a Mooncraft Technology
Avco Specialty Materials' Chartek III fireproofing provides longterm fire protection for structural steel in high risk industrial applications such as structural conduits, pipes and valves of offshore platforms, and storage tanks used in hydrocarbon processing industry. In the presence of fire, Chartek III fire-proofing provides two kinds of protection. One of them is ablation, technique used on Apollo involving dissipation of heat by burnoff. The other is called intumescence or swelling. Heat causes the Chartek coating to swell to a thickness six times greater than when it was applied forming a protective blanket of char that retards transfer of heat to the steel structure. Mesh reinforcement keeps the char intact and reduces metal fatigue. Chartek provides fire protection for as much as two or three hours depending on the type of fire and the thickness of the coating applied.
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Replacement of Ablators with Phase-Change Material for Thermal Protection of STS Elements
As part of the research and development program to develop new Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials for aerospace applications at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), an experimental study was conducted on a new concept for a non-ablative TPS material. Potential loss of TPS material and ablation by-products from the External Tank (ET) or Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) during Shuttle flight with the related Orbiter tile damage necessitates development of a non-ablative thermal protection system. The new Thermal Management Coating (TMC) consists of phase-change material encapsulated in micro spheres and a two-part resin system to adhere the coating to the structure material. The TMC uses a phase-change material to dissipate the heat produced during supersonic flight rather than an ablative material. This new material absorbs energy as it goes through a phase change during the heating portion of the flight profile and then the energy is slowly released as the phase-change material cools and returns to its solid state inside the micro spheres. The coating was subjected to different test conditions simulating design flight environments at the NASA/MSFC Improved Hot Gas Facility (IHGF) to study its performance.
Kaul, Raj K.↗
The Direct Digital Modulation of Traveling Wave Tubes
Traveling wave tube (TWT) technology, first described by Rudolf Kompfner in the early 1940s, has been a key component of space missions from the earliest communication satellites in the 1960s to the Cassini probe today. TWTs are essentially signal amplifiers that have the special capability of operating at microwave frequencies. The microwave frequency range, which spans from approximately 500 MHz to 300 GHz, is shared by many technologies including cellular phones, satellite television, space communication, and radar. TWT devices are superior in reliability, weight, and efficiency to solid-state amplifiers at the high power and frequency levels required for most space missions. TWTs have three main components -an electron gun, slow wave structure, and collector. The electron gun generates an electron beam that moves along the length of the tube axis, inside of the slow wave circuit. At the same time, the inputted signal is slowed by its travel through the coils of the helical slow wave circuit. The interaction of the electron beam and this slowed signal produces a transfer of kinetic energy to the signal, and in turn, amplification. At the end of its travel, the spent electron beam moves into the collector where its remaining energy is dissipated as heat or harnessed for reuse. TWTs can easily produce gains in the tens of decibels, numbers that are suitable for space missions. To date, however, TWTs have typically operated at fixed levels of gain. This gain is determined by various, unchanging, physical factors of the tube. Traditionally, to achieve varying gain, an input signal s amplitude has had to first be modulated by a separate device before being fed into the TWT. This is not always desirable, as significant distortion can occur in certain situations. My mentor, Mr. Dale Force, has proposed an innovative solution to this problem called direct digital modulation . The testing and implementation of this solution is the focus of my summer internship. The direct digital modulation of a TWT removes the need for a separate amplitude modulation device. Instead, different levels of gain are achieved by varying the electron beam current. The lower the current, the less kinetic energy is available to be transferred to the signal. To vary the current, a grid is placed in-between the electron gun and the slow wave circuit. By changing the voltage across the grid, the electron beam current can be controlled. Grid technology has mostly been used in pulse applications such as radar, where only two voltage states are necessary. For direct digital modulation, however, a continuous range of voltages is required.
Radhamohan, Ranjan S.↗
Utilizing Solar Power Technologies for On-Orbit Propellant Production
The cost of access to space beyond low Earth orbit may be reduced if vehicles can refuel in orbit. The cost of access to low Earth orbit may also be reduced by launching oxygen and hydrogen propellants in the form of water. To achieve this reduction in costs of access to low Earth orbit and beyond, a propellant depot is considered that electrolyzes water in orbit, then condenses and stores cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen. Power requirements for such a depot require Solar Power Satellite technologies. A propellant depot utilizing solar power technologies is discussed in this paper. The depot will be deployed in a 400 km circular equatorial orbit. It receives tanks of water launched into a lower orbit from Earth, converts the water to liquid hydrogen and oxygen, and stores up to 500 metric tons of cryogenic propellants. This requires a power system that is comparable to a large Solar Power Satellite capable of several 100 kW of energy. Power is supplied by a pair of solar arrays mounted perpendicular to the orbital plane, which rotates once per orbit to track the Sun. The majority of the power is used to run the electrolysis system. Thermal control is maintained by body-mounted radiators; these also provide some shielding against orbital debris. The propellant stored in the depot can support transportation from low Earth orbit to geostationary Earth orbit, the Moon, LaGrange points, Mars, etc. Emphasis is placed on the Water-Ice to Cryogen propellant production facility. A very high power system is required for cracking (electrolyzing) the water and condensing and refrigerating the resulting oxygen and hydrogen. For a propellant production rate of 500 metric tons (1,100,000 pounds) per year, an average electrical power supply of 100 s of kW is required. To make the most efficient use of space solar power, electrolysis is performed only during the portion of the orbit that the Depot is in sunlight, so roughly twice this power level is needed for operations in sunlight (slightly over half of the time). This power level mandates large solar arrays, using advanced Space Solar Power technology. A significant amount of the power has to be dissipated as heat, through large radiators. This paper briefly describes the propellant production facility and the requirements for a high power system capability. The Solar Power technologies required for such an endeavor are discussed.
Fikes, John C.↗
Conductively cooled microchannel plates
A conductively cooled microchannel plate is disclosed. Cooling is achieved by placing an active face of the MCP in thermal contact with a thermally conductive substrate for dissipating joule heating.
Feller, Winthrop B.↗
Lightweight Carbon-Carbon High-Temperature Space Radiator
A document summarizes the development of a carbon-carbon composite radiator for dissipating waste heat from a spacecraft nuclear reactor. The radiator is to be bonded to metal heat pipes and to operate in conjunction with them at a temperature approximately between 500 and 1,000 K. A goal of this development is to reduce the average areal mass density of a radiator to about 2 kg/m(exp 2) from the current value of approximately 10 kg/m(exp 2) characteristic of spacecraft radiators made largely of metals. Accomplishments thus far include: (1) bonding of metal tubes to carbon-carbon material by a carbonization process that includes heating to a temperature of 620 C; (2) verification of the thermal and mechanical integrity of the bonds through pressure-cycling, axial-shear, and bending tests; and (3) construction and testing of two prototype heat-pipe/carbon-carbon-radiator units having different radiator areas, numbers of heat pipes, and areal mass densities. On the basis of the results achieved thus far, it is estimated that optimization of design could yield an areal mass density of 2.2 kg/m (exp 2) close to the goal of 2 kg/m(exp 2).
Miller, W.O.↗
Lidar System for Airborne Measurement of Clouds and Aerosols
A lidar system for measuring optical properties of clouds and aerosols at three wavelengths is depicted. The laser transmitter is based on a Nd:YVO4 laser crystal pumped by light coupled to the crystal via optical fibers from laser diodes that are located away from the crystal to aid in dissipating the heat generated in the diodes and their drive circuits. The output of the Nd:YVO4 crystal has a wavelength of 1064 nm, and is made to pass through frequency-doubling and frequency-tripling crystals. As a result, the net laser output is a collinear superposition of beams at wavelengths of 1064, 532, and 355 nm. The laser operates at a pulse-repetition rate of 5 kHz, emitting per-pulse energies of 50 microJ at 1064 nm, 25 microJ at 532 nm and 50 microJ at 355 nm. An important feature of this system is an integrating sphere located between the laser output and the laser beam expander lenses. The integrating sphere collects light scattered from the lenses. Three energy-monitor detectors are located at ports inside the integrating sphere. Each of these detectors is equipped with filters such that the laser output energy is measured independently for each wavelength. The laser output energy is measured on each pulse to enable the most accurate calibration possible. The 1064-nm and 532-nm photodetectors are, more specifically, single photon-counting modules (SPCMs). When used at 1064 nm, these detectors have approximately 3% quantum efficiency and low thermal noise (fewer than 200 counts per second). When used at 532 nm, the SPCMs have quantum efficiency of about 60%. The photodetector for the 355-nm channel is a photon-counting photomultiplier tube having a quantum efficiency of about 20%. The use of photon-counting detectors is made feasible by the low laser pulse energy. The main advantage of photon-counting is ease of inversion of data without need for complicated calibration schemes like those necessary for analog detectors. The disadvantage of photon-counting detectors is that they inherently have narrow dynamic ranges. However, by using photon-counting detectors along with a high-repetition rate laser, it is possible to obtain wide dynamic range through accumulation of counts over many pulses.
McGill, Matthew↗
Turbulence and Global Properties of the Solar Wind
The solar wind shows striking characteristics that suggest that it is a turbulent magnetofluid, but the picture is not altogether simple. From the earliest observations, a strong correlation between magnetic fluctuations and plasma velocity fluctuations was noted. The high corrections suggest that the fluctuations are Alfven waves. In addition, the power spectrum of the magnetic fluctuation showed evidence of an inertial range that resembled that seen in fully-developed fluid turbulence. Alfven waves, however, are exact solutions of the equations of incompressible magnetohydrodynamics. Thus, there was a puzzle: how can a magnetofluid consisting of Alfven waves be turbulent? The answer lay in the role of velocity shears in the solar wind that could drive turbulent evolution. Puzzles remain: for example, the power spectrum of the velocity fluctuations is less steep than the slope of the magnetic fluctuations. The plasma in the magnetic tail of Earth's magnetosphere also shows aspects of turbulence, as does the plasma in the dayside magnetosphere near the poles the dayside cusps. Recently, new analyses of high time resolution magnetic field data from Cluster have offered a glimpse of how turbulence is dissipated, thus heating the ambient plasma.
Goldstein, Melvyn L.↗
High field superconducting magnets
A superconducting magnet includes an insulating layer disposed about the surface of a mandrel; a superconducting wire wound in adjacent turns about the mandrel to form the superconducting magnet, wherein the superconducting wire is in thermal communication with the mandrel, and the superconducting magnet has a field-to-current ratio equal to or greater than 1.1 Tesla per Ampere; a thermally conductive potting material configured to fill interstices between the adjacent turns, wherein the thermally conductive potting material and the superconducting wire provide a path for dissipation of heat; and a voltage limiting device disposed across each end of the superconducting wire, wherein the voltage limiting device is configured to prevent a voltage excursion across the superconducting wire during quench of the superconducting magnet.
Hait, Thomas P.↗
Flexible Metal-Fabric Radiators
Flexible metal-fabric radiators have been considered as alternative means of dissipating excess heat from spacecraft and space suits. The radiators also may be useful in such special terrestrial applications as rejecting heat from space-suit-like protective suits worn in hot work environments. In addition to flexibility and consequent ease of deployment and installation on objects of varying sizes and shapes, the main advantages of these radiators over conventional rigid radiators are that they weigh less and occupy less volume for a given amount of cooling capacity. A radiator of this type includes conventional stainless-steel tubes carrying a coolant fluid. The main radiating component consists of a fabric of interwoven aluminum-foil strips bonded to the tubes by use of a proprietary process. The strip/tube bonds are strong and highly thermally conductive. Coolant is fed to and from the tubes via flexible stainless-steel manifolds designed to accommodate flexing of, and minimize bending forces on, the fabric. The manifolds are sized to minimize pressure drops and distribute the flow of coolant evenly to all the tubes. The tubes and manifolds are configured in two independent flow loops for operational flexibility and protective redundancy.
Cross, Cynthia↗
Lightweight Radiator System for a Spacecraft
Three documents describe various aspects of a proposed lightweight, deployable radiator system for dissipating excess heat from the life-support system of a habitable spacecraft. The first document focuses on a radiator tube that would include a thin metal liner surrounded and supported by a thicker carbon-fiber-reinforced composite tubular structure that, in turn, would be formed as part of a unitary composite radiator-fin structure consisting mostly of a sheet of reticulated vitreous carbon laminated between carbon-fiber-reinforced face sheets. The thermal and mechanical properties, including the anisotropies, of the component materials are taken into account in the design. The second document describes thermo-structural bumpers, in the form of exterior multiple-ply carbon-fiber sheets enclosing hollows on opposite sides of a radiator fin, which would protect the radiator tube against impinging micrometeors and orbital debris. The third document describes a radiator system that would include multiple panels containing the aforementioned components, among others. The system would also include mechanisms for deploying the panels from compact stowage. Deployment would not involve breaking and remaking of fluid connections to the radiator panels.
Copeland, Robert J.↗
Thermally Insulating, Kinematic Tensioned-Fiber Suspension
A salt pill and some parts of a thermally insulating, kinematic suspension system that holds the salt pill rigidly in an adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) is presented. "Salt pill" in this context denotes a unit comprising a cylindrical container, a matrix of gold wires in the container, and a cylinder of ferric ammonium alum (a paramagnetic salt) that has been deposited on the wires. The structural members used in this system for both thermal insulation and positioning are aromatic polyamide fibers (Kevlar(R) or equivalent) under tension. This suspension system is designed to satisfy several special requirements to ensure the proper operation of the ADR. These requirements are to (1) maintain the salt pill at a specified position within the cylindrical bore of an electromagnet; (2) prevent vibrations, which would cause dissipation of heat in the salt pill; and (3) minimize the conduction of heat from the electromagnet bore and other neighboring objects to the salt pill; all while (4) protecting the salt pill (which is fragile) against all tensile and bending loads other than those attributable to its own weight. In addition, the system is required to consist of two subsystems -- one for the top end and one for the bottom end of the salt pill -- that can be assembled and tensioned separately from each other and from the salt pill, then later attached to the salt pill.
Voellmer, George M.↗
Lightweight Radiator for in Space Nuclear Electric Propulsion
Nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) is a promising option for high‐speed in‐space travel due to the high energy density of nuclear fission power sources and efficient electric thrusters. Advanced power conversion technologies may require high operating temperatures and would benefit from lightweight radiator materials. Radiator performance dictates power output for nuclear electric propulsion systems. Game‐changing propulsion systems are often enabled by novel designs using advanced materials. Pitch‐based carbon fiber materials have the potential to offer significant improvements in operating temperature, thermal conductivity, and mass. These properties combine to allow advances in operational efficiency and high temperature feasibility. An effort at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to show that woven high thermal conductivity carbon fiber mats can be used to replace standard metal and composite radiator fins to dissipate waste heat from NEP systems is ongoing. The goals of this effort are to demonstrate a proof of concept, to show that a significant improvement of specific power (power/mass) can be achieved, and to develop a thermal model with predictive capabilities making use of constrained input parameter space. A description of this effort is presented.
Craven, Paul↗