Advanced thermal management needs for Lunar and Mars missions

Conference · Fri Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 1993 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.43160· OSTI ID:6541353

Klein, A C ^[1]; Webb, B J ^[2]

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1. Department of Nuclear Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (United States)
2. Umpqua Research, Inc., P.O. Box 791, Myrtle Creek, Oregon 97457 (United States)

Significant improvements in thermal management technologies will be required to support NASA's planned Lunar and Mars missions. The developments needed include the application of advanced materials to reduce radiator system masses, enhanced survivability, and the use of alternative working fluids. Current thermal management systems utilize one of two heat rejection alternatives; either single phase pumped loops, or two phase heat pipes constructed with thick walled metal casings. These two technologies have proven themselves to be reliable performers in the transport and rejection of waste heat from spacecraft. As thermal management needs increase with increased power consumption and activity required on spacecraft, these metal based thermal management systems will become mission limiting. Investigations into the use of light weight ceramic materials for high temperature thermal management systems have been conducted by NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense since the early 1980s, with results showing that significant mass savings can be obtained by replacing some of the metallic functions with ceramic materials.

• DOE Contract Number: FG02-89ER12901
• OSTI ID: 6541353
• Report Number(s): CONF-930103-; CODEN: APCPCS
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Vol. 271:2; Conference: 10. symposium on space nuclear power and propulsion, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 10-14 Jan 1993; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
42 ENGINEERING
RADIATORS
DESIGN
SPACE POWER REACTORS
WASTE HEAT
CARBON FIBERS
CERAMICS
HEAT PIPES
MARS SPACE PROBES
MOON
SILICON CARBIDES
SILICON OXIDES
TITANIUM
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
FIBERS
HEAT
HEAT EXCHANGERS
METALS
MOBILE REACTORS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER REACTORS
REACTORS
SATELLITES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SPACE VEHICLES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VEHICLES
WASTES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable
420200 - Engineering- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques