SBIR 95-1 SOLICITATION
PROJECT SUMMARY
Proposal Number:
Project Title:
HEAT PIPES FOR MATERIAL PROCESSING AT 2000 C
Technical Abstract:
Heat pipes have been successfully used to control thermal environments involved
in materials processing experiments and crystal growth at temperatures up to
about 1500oC. Numerous materials processing applications exist which could
benefit from heat pipes capable of operating at 2000oC and above. These include
the formulation and fabrication of exotic ceramics and metal alloys as well as
the measurement of thermophysical properties of certain semiconductor materials
in the 2000oC range. Although a limited number of tests have been performed,
initial life test data generated in the 1960's indicates that tungsten/silver
heat pipes may be well suited for thousands of hours of operation at 2000C.
Tungsten however, is extremely brittle and ill-suited for use in a material
processing laboratory where equipment is required to be both flexible and
serviceable.The proposed Phase I program will begin the investigation of issues
critical to the successful fabrication of heat pipes for operation at 2000oC and
above. The program will result in the selection and initial investigation of
useful alloys and fabrication techniques for development of these potentially
important thermal management tools.
Potential Commercial Applications:
The proposed program (Phase I and Phase II) will develop and demonstrate
robust, long-lived heat pipes operating at 2000oC and above for application in
advanced materials processing laboratories. In Phase III, Thermacore and
Dynatherm (a sister company) intend to commercialize the tungsten-silver
isothermal furnace liners, extending the temperature range of our existing line
of commercial furnace liners.
Name and Address of Offeror:
Thermacore
780 Eden Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) &
Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) Programs
Electronic Management System (EMS)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
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Hu, Hughes STX.
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Updated: Feb. 7, 1996