A 95.3 mm by 95.3 mm by 1.0 mm thick titanium heat pipe thermal plane was constructed and tested. This thermal plane is being considered for passively removing heat from inside a PEM fuel cell stack. Titanium was selected because it is lightweight and is compatible with water, the working fluid inside the thermal plane. The total mass of the thermal plane is 26.3 grams; the effective density of the thermal plane is It was tested at heat flux levels as high as The thermal resistance at heat flux input is 0.9 °C/W. It was also shown to operate against gravity. Several samples were fabricated, thermal tested and compared to the performance of identical thermal planes made of solid copper. The thermal performance of the titanium plane exceeded the performance of solid copper. In a weight comparison the titanium plane was three times lighter. Therefore, it is well suited for use in fuel cell thermal management solutions as well as space based applications where lightweight is the key factor in selecting a cooling system.
Titanium Heat Pipe Thermal Plane
SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL FORUM‐STAIF 2008: 12th Conference on Thermophysics Applications in Microgravity; 1st Symposium on Space Resource Utilization; 25th Symposium on Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion; 6th Conference on Human/Robotic Technology and the Vision for Space Exploration; 6th Symposium on Space Colonization; 5th Symposium on New Frontiers and Future Concept ; 2008 ; Albuquerque (New Mexico)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 969 , 1 ; 131-137
2008-01-21
7 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Titanium Heat Pipe Thermal Plane
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