NASA SBIR SUCCESS STORY Goddard Space Flight Center
1999 Phase II

Miniature Loop Heat Pipe with Temperature Control

TTH Research, Inc.

Laurel, MD

INNOVATION

A Miniature Loop Heat Pipe capable of transfering large amounts of heat over long distances with no moving parts. Size is small enough for implementation on nanosats and is viable for commercial ground applications. Heat transfer lengths can be adjusted according to application needs. Design can provide tight temperature controls if needed.

 

Miniature Loop Heat Pipe with Temperature Control
Miniature Loop Heat Pipe with Temperature Control
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  • A 6 mm (1/4") outer diameter pump size
  • Extremely efficient pump design, better than what's been previously built
  • 75 W heat transfer using ammonia as working fluid and 20 W using propylene
  • High capacity wick enables multiple ground applications as well as space
  • Use of small flexible lines for easy integration
COMMERCIALIZATION
  • Potential for utilizing this technology for cooling commercial electronics.
  • Size is small enough to consider using this for warming gloves, boots, etc., for people working or playing in cold environments such as ski patrols or snowboarders. Heat would be transferred from the armpit or torso to the cold extremities.
GOVERNMENT/SCIENCE APPLICATIONS
  • Potential uses include nanosats and laser cooling applications.
  • Other applications include high conductance/ lightweight/flexible thermal straps for small electronic devices (e.g. Low-Noise Amplifiers, Star Trackers) and heat transfer devices for cryogenic applications with no vibrational input and easy integration.
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Curator: SBIR Support         6/18/04