The active thermal control of spacecraft crew compartments and external electronics is currently accomplished using pumped single phase flow loops as on the U. S. Space Shuttle and the Russian Mir space station. For space platforms with higher power levels and longer transport distances, two-phase active thermal control systems (ATCSs) are an attractive option. Two-phase ATCSs typically require less pump power than do single phase systems, and often weigh less. However, two-phase flow behavior in 0-g can be radically different from the behavior in 1-g. This limits the effectiveness of system level ground tests and increases the technical risk for spacecraft two-phase ATCSs. One of the largest unknowns hindering the development and use of two-phase ATCSs is the 0-g behavior of two-phase flow in components (e. g. bends, valves, and fittings). If 0-g behavior of two-phase flow in components could be studied in ground tests, many flight system unknowns could be eliminated at minimal cost. In the present work, a methodology for developing ground tests that mimic 0-g two-phase flow is derived and a sample case is addressed.
Selection of a gravity insensitive ground test fluid and test configuration to allow simulation of two-phase flow in microgravity
1998
7 Seiten, 13 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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