COMPACT HIGH PERFORMANCE HEAT EXCHANGERS FOR SPACE STATION THERMAL CONTROL

THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES A NOVEL CONCEPT FOR A SINGLE-PHASE HEAT EXCHANGER WHICH ATTAINS VERY HIGH HEAT TRANSFER RATES WITH VERY LOW PRESSURE LOSSES. THE NEW HEAT EXCHANGER OFFERS POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO THE SPACE STATION THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY THE LIVING MODULE TO THERMAL BUS HEAT TRANSPORT LOOP WHICH IS CONSTRAINED TO USE SINGLE-PHASE WATER AS THE THERMAL TRANSPORT FLUID. SUCH A SYSTEM TYPICALLY SUFFERS FROM HIGH PUMPING POWER REQUIREMENTS DUE TO PRESSURE LOSSES IN HEAT EXCHANGERS, WHICH ARE THEMSELVES LARGE AND MASSIVE DUE TO SINGLE-PHASE HEAT TRANSFER LIMITATIONS. THE NEW HEAT EXCHANGER CONCEPT EFFECTIVELY MINIMIZES THESE DRAWBACKS THROUGH A FLUID FLOW PATH WHICH ELIMINATES SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE LOSS FROM THE HEAT TRANSFER SURFACE, AND HIGH HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS WHICH CUT COMPONENT VOLUME BY OVER AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS WITHIN THE SPACE STATION THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEM INCLUDE THE LIVING MODULE TO THERMAL BUS HEAT EXCHANGER AND THE AIR/WATER HEAT EXCHANGERS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEM. PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NEW HEAT EXCHANGER CONCEPT AND ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF APPLYING THE PROPOSED CONCEPT TO SPACE STATION THERMAL CONTROL. IF FEASIBLE, A PROTOTYPE HEAT EXCHANGER WILL BE BUILT AND TESTED IN PHASE II.