Deployable, Lightweight, Freeze-Tolerant Radiator For Two Phase Thermal Management

Future space exploration missions require advanced thermal control systems (TCS) to dissipate heat from spacecraft, rovers, or habitats to external environments. These TCSs must be lightweight, reliable, and able to effectively control cabin and equipment temperatures under widely varying heat loads and ambient temperatures. In contrast to single-phase pumped coolant loops, two-phase pumped loops are very attractive for this application because of the uniform cooling temperature provided by the boiling coolant, low required pumping power, high-heat transfer coefficients, and high thermal conductance. However, introduction of two-phase flow can pose design challenges associated with flow management and dynamic stability. A condensing radiator technology is needed to enable future heat rejection systems with high turndown ratio, compatibility with freezing, and deployability, while balancing considerations unique to two-phase flow condensation. To meet these performance requirements, Creare has developed a freeze-tolerant, variable-conductance radiator for deployable heat rejection in two-phase pumped loop systems.