Vapor-Liquid Pumping through Integral Separation

Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) is proposing to develop a pump capable of moving a two-phase fluid against large pressure gradients. This pump will accept fluid at any quality and will maintain outlet pressure regardless of inlet quality variation. Pumping will be provided by conventional means with a prime mover dedicated to each phase. To allow for this, the phases will be passively separated before entering the pump. Using a passive separation technique will simplify the overall design as complicated seals and moving parts are eliminated. This simplification will increase pump reliability and reduce manufacturing costs. In addition, the separation stage can accumulate liquid and gas. This feature will provide a buffer between inlet quality changes and volumetric flow changes at each pumping component. This buffer allows the two-phase pump to respond gracefully to inlet quality changes. Phase I will concentrate on the development and demonstration of the two-phase thermal management system operating with the two-stage pump design. In Phase II, ACT intends to work with a commercial partner to develop a packaging strategy and design, fabricate, and test an initial two-phase pump prototype, which will be sized for a 20 kW thermal management system.