Speaker
Description
In modern times, the rapid growth in the volume of data and the needs for global connectivity are major technological challenges. At this point, satellite technology attempts to respond to various demands, ranging from guaranteeing internet access in remote regions to national security missions. The growing demand for satellite devices and the expectation regarding the tasks assigned to this technological infrastructure are associated with greater processing capacities, increase of number of hot sources, higher electrical power consumption and therefore new challenges in the design of thermal control systems. In this regard, the limitations of passive systems such as heat pipes (HP) and loop heat pipes (LHP) have led to the emergence of two-phase mechanically pumped loop as a solution to variable heat capture and rejection conditions. This cooling technologies based on flow boiling have shown their thermal management capacity in space applications in recent years, where ammonia (NH3) and carbon dioxide (CO2) have been substances successfully used in thermal control systems with a technology readiness level TRL 9 (system proven in operational environment). However, there are knowledge gaps about the parameters influencing flow boiling dynamics in evaporation and condensation components. The objective of this work is to present a fluid selection methodology under environmental and operational safety considerations, while figures of merit (FoM) proposed by the literature are used to estimate thermohydraulic advantages. Finally, the selection of two fluids suitable for experimentation in a testbench for aerospace applications is presented. The overall purpose of the criteria applied to this selection will be to promote the understanding of flow dynamics in a two-phase mechanically pumped loop (2pMPL), allowing future exploration of improvements in heat transport and adaptation to changing environmental conditions for satellite applications.
