High Power Density Radiator Concept Using Short Staggered Heat Pipes Imbedded in Honeycomb Panels with High Conductivity Face Sheets (kTC P 208)

"As more powerful systems emerge, radiator technology is challenged to dissipate the waste heat in space at minimum weight. k Technology Corporation (kTC) believes there is an opportunity to combine the heat pipe and high conductivity (5x that ofAluminum) materials (k-Core) to develop a new class of weight efficient radiators. To this end, a radiator concept based on honeycomb panels that has k-Core as face sheets and short, simple, imbedded, staggered, heat pipes is proposed. Such adesign should produce high heat dissipation density, have small thermal distortions, be highly survivable and won't require complex 2-D heat pipe arrays. As indicated by the letter of support from TRW, system primes believe this effort could lead to anew generation of efficient radiators.In Phase I, kTC proposes to develop innovative, low-weight heat pipe/k-Core radiator concepts. Design variables will include heat pipe geometry and spacing, heat pipe/k-Core interfaces, and k-Core encapsulants. Best concepts will be analyzed using 3-D,nonlinear finite element methods to predict performance. Then, representative elements will be fabricated, tested, and results compared to analytical predictions. Based on results of the Phase I, a solid foundation will be developed for follow on work toqualify selected radiator concepts for space. The range of applications and functions of spaceborne electronics is rapidly expanding. New applications lik