USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Tth Research, Inc.

Triem T Hoang

Jesse R Maxwell

Robert W Baldauff

Gabriel B Goodwin

Kwok Cheung

Evan Hyde

A hybrid capillary and mechanically pumped loop heat pipe (HLHP) includes a fluid loop having an evaporator thermally coupled to a heat load, a condenser thermally coupled to a heat sink, a reservoir, and one or more magnetically levitating pumps configured to pump fluid through the loop thereby improving heat transport capacity and system stability.

Hybrid loop heat pipe with integrated magnetically levitating bearingless pump

A method of thermally protecting a leading edge of a hypersonic system includes saturating an annular primary wick in contact with an evaporator and having a first pore size with a phase change material by means of an annularly-inward secondary wick having a second pore size and being coupled to a liquid line, the second pore size being larger than the first, where a first end of the secondary wick extends into a reservoir and a second end of the secondary wick extends into the evaporator, the second end of the secondary wick having a terminal end. The method includes terminating the liquid line inside of the evaporator, transferring thermal energy from the leading edge into the phase change material, raising the temperature of the phase change material to a phase-change temperature, changing phase of the phase change material, and carrying away heat from the leading edge.

Two-phase thermal protection of the hypersonic leading edge

A two-phase heat transfer system including at least one two-phase evaporator, at least one condenser, a vapor conduit joining a vapor outlet of the two-phase evaporator to an inlet of the condenser, a liquid conduit joining an outlet of the condenser to a liquid inlet of the two-phase evaporator, and a thermally-actuated capillary flow valve. The thermally-actuated capillary flow valve having a valve inlet, a valve outlet, a thermal connection to a heat sink for cold biasing the capillary flow valve, a porous wick extending across the flow passageway of the capillary flow valve, and a heater thermally connected to the capillary flow valve, where actuation of the heater evaporates liquid in the porous wick to allow passage of vapor through the capillary flow valve.

Temperature actuated capillary valve for loop heat pipe system

A capillary flow valve for use in a two phase heat transfer system such as a loop heat pipe, including an inlet port for receiving working fluid in a vapor-phase, an outlet port for outputting working fluid in a vapor-phase, and a porous wick material extending across the interior of the valve. Heating the wick evaporates liquid-phase working fluid from the wick and allows the vapor-phase working fluid to pass through the wick to the outlet port. Removing the heat allows liquid to condense in the wick, preventing flow of the vapor-phase working fluid through the wick to the outlet port.

An Advanced Loop Heat Pipe (&ldquo;ALHP&rdquo;) apparatus, for passively transporting waste heat over a long distance and rejecting it to a heat sink for heat rejection, an evaporator capillary pump (&ldquo;ECP&rdquo;) for heat acquisition, includes a reservoir for storing the working fluid of the ALHP, an auxiliary pump for vapor management of the liquid side of the loop, a primary condenser for condensation of vapor from the ECP, and a secondary condenser for condensation of vapor from the reservoir. The reservoir, ECP, and condenser are connected by transport lines to provide a conduit for the working fluid to flow from one component to another. The reservoir also connects to the auxiliary pump by an auxiliary pump transport line via the condenser. The auxiliary pump further connects to the condenser by a vapor transport line.

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Clifton, VA, United States of America

Triem T Hoang