California Institute of Technology

Eric T Sunada

Scott N Roberts

Benjamin I Furst

Ratnakumar V Bugga

Karl Y Yee

Gregory Agnes

Sean W Reilly

Arthur J Mastropietro

Samantha H Glassner

Jordan Mizerak

Spencer Backus

Blair J Emanuel

Hiroki Nagai

Russell G Smith

Rudranarayan M Mukherjee

Stefano Cappucci

Timothy P Setterfield

Pointing interfaces that can be used to assemble/disassemble instruments/payloads from a spacecraft/host are disclosed. The disclosed interfaces provide structural, communications, power, and fluid connections (for thermal control). Such interfaces also provide active and passive vibration isolation capability for precision pointing. They can further act as an interface to the launch vehicle for secondary delivery of the instrument/payload to the spacecraft.

Precision pointing interface

Thermal management systems for battery cells and methods for their additive manufacture are provided. The thermal management systems include at least one heat pipe that physically contacts the battery cell and conforms to its geometry. Each battery cell is deposited within a separate heat pipe, and each heat pipe is disposed on a base plate, which itself connects to a heat sink. In many embodiments, the heat pipe is a two-phase heat exchanger having three major components: liquid channels, wick elements, and vapor channels. In such embodiments, the wick component comprises a porous body configured to be disposed between the liquid channels and vapor channels. The wick component may be made using a stochastic additive manufacturing process such that the wick component may take any configuration and/or such that the wick component may be directly integrated into the body of the heat pipe as a unitary piece thereof. In other embodiments, the heat pipe is a cavity with flow channels in which fluid can be pumped through. In some such embodiments, the fluid can occupy the heat pipe in a one-phase or two-phase state. This unitary heat pipe is part of a monolithic thermal management system.

Thermal management systems for battery cells and methods of their manufacture

Multi-phase thermal control systems, evaporators, variable porous wick elements, heat transfer structures, and methods for their production are provided. Two-phase evaporators for use in such multi-phase thermal control systems are also provided. Two-phase evaporators incorporate a vapor plate body having there three major layers: a vapor channel network, a wick, and a liquid channel. The vapor channel network comprises a plurality of extrusions (e.g., vapor pillars) and associated channels (e.g., vapor channels) configured to allow a vapor to flow therethrough. The wick comprises a porous body configured to be disposed between the vapor channel network of and the liquid flow reservoir.

Multi-phase thermal control apparatus, evaporators and methods of manufacture thereof

A wicking structure comprising a biporous wick formed with a semiconductor (e.g., silicon), wherein the biporous wick comprises first pores and second pores formed by the semiconductor and the first pores are larger than the second pores.

Silicon biporous wick for high heat flux heat spreaders

Growing community of inventors

Alhambra, CA, United States of America

Eric T Sunada