A thermal-hydraulic model was developed to calculate the pressure losses and determine the capillary limit of the liquid-sodium return wick in the PX-2C, vapor-anode, multitube AMTEC cell. The effects of the wick parameters and evaporator temperature on the liquid sodium circulation were examined. For a wick porosity of 0.2 and a sodium mass flow rate of 7.2 gm/hr, the calculated pressure losses in the wick were 3.5 kPa, 6.1 kPa, and 14.4 kPa, at effective pore radii of 20 μm, 15 μm, and 10 μm, respectively. To operate a PX-type AMTEC cell at evaporator temperatures of 950 K, 1025 K and 1100 K, maximum wick pore radii of 27 μm, 10 μm, and 4 μm, respectively, are needed, to overcome the evaporator saturation pressure (10 kPa, 27 kPa and 61 kPa, respectively). At evaporator temperatures >1050 K, the liquid pressure losses in a single pore size, homogeneous wick would be prohibitively high. Therefore, a wick that is comprised of two sections, a long section with a large permeability, to reduce the liquid pressure losses, and a short evaporator section, with a much smaller pore size, to provide a high capillary pressure head, is recommended.
Optimization of liquid-return artery in a vapor-anode, multitube AMTEC
Space technology and applications international forum - 1998 ; 1998 ; Albuquerque,New Mexico (USA)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 420 , 1 ; 1586-1594
15.01.1998
9 pages
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Optimization of Liquid-Return Artery in a Vapor-Anode, Multitube AMTEC
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