MODULAR CHEMICAL-MECHANICAL HEAT PUMP FOR SPACECRAFT THERMALBUS APPLICATIONS

THE INTENT OF THIS SBIR PHASE I PROPOSAL IS TO EXPERIMENTALLY DEMONSTRATE AN INNOVATIVE HIGH-EFFICIENCY, HIGH-RELIABILITY HEAT PUMP FOR SPACECRAFT HEAT REJECTION APPLICATIONS. THIS HEAT PUMP WOULD ALLOW EQUIPMENT TO OPERATE AT A TEMPERATURE CLOSE TO BUT DIFFERENT FROM THE SATURATION TEMPERATURE OF A TWO-PHASE THERMAL BUS. THE PROPOSED HEAT PUMP CONCEPT IS A HYBRID CHEMICAL-MECHANICAL HEAT PUMP AND IS APPLICABLE TO EITHER THERMALLY DRIVEN OR ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN APPLICATIONS. AS A STARTING POINT, THE ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN DESIGN HAS BEEN PROPOSED FOR THIS APPLICATION. PREVIOUS MAINSTREAM EFFORTS HAVE IDENTIFIED A SERIES OF WORKING FLUIDS THAT ARE SUPERIOR TO EXISTING WORKING FLUIDS IN TERMS OF THERMODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL ADDRESS THE DESIGN OF THIS INNOVATIVE HEAT PUMP. THE SUBSEQUENT PHASE II EFFORT WILL ADDRESS THE FINAL DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND TESTING (IN NORMAL GRAVITY AND REDUCED GRAVITY) OF THIS INNOVATIVE, MODULAR, CHEMICAL-MECHANICAL HEAT PUMP.