Grumman Aerospace Corporation

Other

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

Robert L Kosson

Fred Edelstein

Joseph P Alario

Robert A Haslett

John A Quadrini

Richard F Brown

Jonas A Bilenas

Salvatore J Attard

Edward H Leszak

William Harwell

Paul Malik

Michael Vasely

George Stegmann

John Frederick Klein

Theodore W Hilgeman

Herbert J Schneider

Maria Liandris

Kevin J Koubek

Ronald S Dluginski

Martin Solon

Bruce Cordes

An infrared radiation Coanda suppressor of an exhaust system encloses a Coanda surface for guiding exhaust gases into the atmosphere. The infrared radiation suppressor further uses cooling films for reducing the temperature of the Coanda surface and other exposed surfaces. A cool air entrainment flow of the exhaust gases prevents the buildup of recirculating hot gases in the exhaust chamber. As a result, IR radiation is suppressed from areas of the exhaust system which are exposed to IR detectors.

Infrared radiation coanda suppressor

The performance of a compact heat exchanger in which a flow of air is employed to cool a flow of water can be enhanced by spraying water as a fine mist into the stream of coolant air. The water droplets, preferably less than 100 microns in diameter, coat the heat exchanger surface on the air side of the heat exchanger and provide evaporative cooling. The preferred form of heat exchange surface has strip fins.

Cooling system for spent fuel pool

A monogroove heat pipe has a single central manifold communicating with plural parallel connected evaporators and a single condenser. The invention is directed to a tubular screen device which is axially positioned within the liquid channel of the manifold. A number of longitudinally spaced holes are formed in the body of the screen device, each hole being defined by cusp edges which are turned outwardly from the screen body into joint ends of the condenser and evaporator liquid channels. The existence of the screen material at the joint between condenser, evaporators, and the manifold assists the establishment of a primed condition in the heat pipe, even in a zero 'g' environment for any initial liquid distribution within the heat pipe.

Heat pipe manifold with screen-lined insert

A system for cooling water from a spent fuel pool of a nuclear power generating plant. The system includes a heat exchanger in which a flow of air is employed to cool a flow of pool water. The performance of the heat exchanger is enhanced by spraying water as a fine mist into the flow of coolant air. The water droplets, preferably less than 100 microns in diameter, coat the heat exchange surface on the air side of the heat exchanger and provide evaporative cooling. The preferred form of heat exchange surface has strip fins.

An improved capillary pumped loop evaporator includes circumferential grooves formed in the outer heat exchanger portion of the evaporator. The grooves open to the interface existing between the heat exchanger and a centrally positioned tubular wick. Axially extending vapor channels are formed in the wick and also open onto the interface. The circumferential grooves continuously communicate with the interface and provide a vapor escape to the vapor channels which direct vapor passage from the evaporator. By shortening the vapor path from the interface, a thinner vapor barrier is possible at the interface which results in more efficient heat transfer.

Capillary pump evaporator

A leading edge construction for reducing drag on an airfoil, the construction includes a relatively thin solid plate extending forwardly from the air foil, the plate having an exposed top surface and an exposed bottom surface, and a relatively sharply radiused forward edge forming the leading edge of the air foil. The construction further includes slots adjacent to the top and bottom surfaces of the plates for injecting coolant over the top and bottom surfaces of the plate, toward the leading edge, to provide active cooling of the plate for removing stagnant heat lead. The method for reducing drag on a air foil according to this invention includes the steps of providing a relatively thin solid plate extending forwardly from the air foil; the plate having a relatively sharply radiused forward edge forming a leading edge for the air foil, and exposed top and bottom surfaces for cooling; injecting coolant over the top and bottom surfaces of the plate, toward the forward edge; entraining the coolant over the surfaces to actively cool the edge and remove the static heat load.

Injection-cooled hypersonic leading edge construction and method

A variable conductance heat pipe includes an electronic component mounting plate serving as the evaporator of the heat pipe. The evaporator is connected to an air cooled condenser which condenses vapor flowing from the evaporator. The evaporator has a sump located at the lowest gravity point of the evaporator passage. By either vaporizing or pumping liquid from the sump and passing it back through the heat pipe a continuing wetted condition exists in the heat pipe which can accommodate heat dissipation transients by the electronic components. A control loop is closed through the heat pipe for controlling the penetration of an inert gas into the heat pipe condenser to maintain a constant temperature for the electronic components mounted thereto.

Closed loop feedback control variable conductance heat pipe

A re-entrant groove heat pipe provides capillary channel fin surfaces which are smooth, continuous, and offer a large radius of curvature upon which an extended thin film of working liquid may develop. Superior formation of thin films of the working fluid allows heat to be conducted more readily between the surface of the heat pipe and the surface of the fluid where evaporation and condensation takes place.

Large capacity re-entrant groove heat pipe

An interrupted monogroove slot in a heat pipe facilitates priming of the heat pipe under zero gravity conditions by preventing the monogroove slot from completely priming before the liquid channel is primed.

Interrupted monogroove slot

A serpentine continuous vapor passage is formed in a metal card which mounts electronic components. Elongated channels of the passage evaporate the contained liquid in response to conducted heat from mounted electronic components. By mounting the side edges of the card to heat conductive retaining means, the evaporated fluid becomes condensed at end sections of the passage thereby transferring the heat from the card and converting the evaporated liquid in a gaseous state back to a liquid state. The resultant card is gravity-insensitive and a thermal-resistance path is minimized so that the cooling capability of the card becomes maximized.

Vapor chamber cooled electronic circuit card

An enclosure covers equipment to be camouflaged from thermal or multi-spectral (thermal, radar visual) detection in spaced relation with the equipment. The enclosure is preferably semi-transparent plastic material sufficiently spaced from the equipment to permit natural convection, or forced airflow over the equipment. In one embodiment, the plastic material has a number of sides with a plurality of openings formed therein for entraining air and a top joining the sides. A chimney is formed in the top and an adjustable discharge damper is provided in the chimney for controlling the flow of air over the equipment. The airflow may be natural or controlled actively or semi-actively.

Spectrally selective transparency for background thermal matching

A thermal pipe switch includes a single vapor channel communicating with two parallel formed liquid channels. Each of the liquid channels is connected to a respective liquid channel in a dual heat sink assembly which thermally contacts a cryocooler. If a first cryocooler becomes operative, liquid in the heat pipe thermal switch will fill a liquid channel communicating with the heat sink liquid channel which thermally contacts an operative cryocooler. The other heat pipe thermal switch liquid channel is filled with vapor so as to thermally decouple its respectively connected thermal cooler from the system.

Heat pipe switch

A heat pipe radiator system is rendered more survivable against laser attack while providing higher thermal performance with significantly lower weight. In order to achieve these advantages, the radiator fin is fabricated from carbon-carbon material which is quite resistant to laser destruction as well as exhibiting twice the thermal conductivity of ordinary metals, such as aluminum. An integral clamp secures the fin to each heat pipe, thereby thermally decoupling the fin from the heat pipe when layer heating occurs. A mesh heat pipe wick creates a vapor barrier in the interior of the heat pipes so that continuous operation of the heat pipe is ensured, even when the pipes are subjected to localized laser heating. The heat pipes are wrapped in multi-layer metal foil insulation to greatly reduce direct laser heating of the heat pipes.

Spacecraft radiator system

A heat pipe including evaporator and condenser sections is located within a stack for reclaiming vaporized metals. The heat pipe is a variable conductance design which employs a communicating reservoir of non-condensable gas for creating a variably positioned interface with the working fluid within the condenser of the heat pipe. The interface varies as a function of the heat load on the condenser and effectively provides a variable control for maintaining efficient, fairly constant heat transfer across the wall of the condenser. Fixed turbulators are mounted to a lower section of the heat pipe for mixing the vaporized metals flowing through the stack thereby increasing the efficiency of heat transfer between the vaporized metals and the heat pipe. The result is a compact and environmentally rugged heat pipe design.

Heat pipe for reclaiming vaporized metal

A thermal management system using heat pipe principles and incorporating capillary-pumped equipment mounting panels such that a heat transport loop without moving parts is provided. The panels can function to either absorb heat or to reject heat and can interface with heat generating equipment or heat radiators. Each panel comprises a pair of coextensive flat plates bonded together with a thin, fine-pore sheet wick interposed therebetween. A network of liquid grooves in one plate is in fluid communication with the sheet wick which covers the grooves and most of the plate and a separate liquid line connecting the panels. A network of vapor channels in the other plate is in fluid communication with the wick and with a separate vapor line connecting the panels. The vapor channel networks of the panels and the liquid groove networks of the panels are connected such that the panels are arranged in parallel in the fluid circuit or loop. A heat input into panels in the loop causes evaporation of liquid off the surface of the sheet wick. Vapor from the evaporated liquid is circulated to panels serving as cold sinks where the vapor is condensed. Capillary action of the wicks returns the condensate to the panels being heated where the cycle is repeated.

Growing community of inventors

Massapequa, NY, United States of America

Robert L Kosson