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The United States of America As Represented by the United States

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

Michael A Merrigan

Charles J Camarda

David Ewing Glass

Keith A Woloshun

A thermal protection system containing several innovative features has been developed with heat pipes embedded in a composite material. The techniques used in the fabrication of the heat pipes permit a smaller radius and a higher use temperature heat pipe than could be manufactured under pervious techniques. The techniques used to embed the heat pipes in a refractory composite material yield a light weight leading edge that is able to tolerate the thermal stresses generated by the difference in thermal expansion between the heat pipes and the composite material. The heat pipes for the leading edge have a 'J-shape', and are placed so that the long leg of the heat pipe alternates between the upper and lower surfaces. A coating is placed on the heat pipes that protects the heat pipe from oxidation and reaction with the components of the composite material. A compliant layer is placed between the heat pipes and the composite material to reduce the effects of the thermal stresses that arise due to the mismatch of thermal expansion between the heat pipe and the composite material. A gap forming layer may also be placed between the heat pipe and the composite material so that after it is removed or shrunk, a small gap will be left that will reduce thermal stresses.

Refractory-composite/heat-pipe-cooled leading edge and method for

A vibratory fluid pump having a force generator for generating asymmetric periodic waves or oscillations connected to one end of one or more fluid conveyance means, such as filaments. The opposite ends of the filaments are connected to springs. Fluid introduced onto the filaments will traverse along the filaments according to the magnitude of the positive and negative excursions of the periodic waves or oscillations, and can be recovered from the filaments.

Vibratory pumping of a free fluid stream

A heat collector and method suitable for efficiently and cheaply collecting solar and other thermal energy are provided. The collector employs a heat pipe in a gravity-assist mode and is not evacuated. The collector has many advantages, some of which include ease of assembly, reduced structural stresses on the heat pipe enclosure, and a low total materials cost requirement. Natural convective forces drive the collector, which after startup operates entirely passively due in part to differences in molecular weights of gaseous components within the collector.

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Santa Cruz, NM, United States of America

Michael A Merrigan