Project Title:

Compact, High-Performance Heat Exchangers for Space Station Thermal Control

09.04-3800
Compact, High-Performance Heat Exchangers for
	 Space Station Thermal Control
Creare Incorporated
PO Box 71
Etna Road
Hanover, NH 03755
Javier A. Valenzuela  (603-643-3800)
JSC -- NAS9-17936

Abstract:

	 This project addresses the development of a novel single-phase, heat exchanger
which can easily achieve heat fluxes comparable to evaporating and condensing heat
exchangers while maintaining high effectiveness and low pressure-drop. This heat
exchanger is ideally suited for the thermal control systems of Space Station crew
and laboratory modules, which are constrained to use single-phase water as the heat
transport fluid. They typically suffer from high pumping power requirements due to
pressure losses in the heat exchangers and large size and weight due to single-phase
heat transfer limitations.
	Scoping analyses and proof-of-concept experiments performed during Phase I demonstrated
the feasibility of this heat-exchanger concept. A water-cooled heat exchanger achieved
a heat flux of 56 watts per square centimeter with an effectiveness of 84 percent
and only 116 Pa (0.017 psi) pressure drop. The same heat flux and effectiveness were
achieved with air at a somewhat higher, but still very modest, pressure drop (10
kPa, 1.4 psi).

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Application: Applications range from cooling electronic components
to cooling internal combustion engines and terrestrial power plant condensers. Civilian
and military space applications, such as Brayton cycle heat exchangers and recuperators
or integral heaters and coolers for Stirling engines, could also benefit from the
new technology.