要約

Current and future space applications are demanding the development of thermal control systems that are consistent with the increasing number of locations from where wasted heat shall be picked up. In this line, an Advanced Control Heat Transfer Loop (ACHTL) with Remote Compensation Chamber based on LHP technology is being developed in IberEspacio. ACHTL with Remote Compensation Chamber is a promising and advantageous solution which overcomes the problem of the limited number of evaporators (classical LHP design) and of instability of operation in transient modes with increased parasitic heat leak through the capillary wick wall (classical CPL design). The proposed thermal architecture implies an autonomous, self-regulated, lightweight, and highly efficient centralized two-phase heat transport system (thermal bus concept), to be potentially used for thermal control in space and terrestrial applications. The first step in the ACHTL development was the design and testing of a one-evaporator one-condenser ACHTL with a remote reservoir. The advanced control scheme and algorithm have been experimentally investigated and the concept has been successfully verified and validated. In the second stage of the project (in the frame of ESA program "Multiple-Evaporator Multiple-Reservoir Loop Heat Pipe") the second evaporator and the second condenser have been added to the design. Furthermore, a dual-evaporator dual-condenser ACHTL has been manufactured and tested. The system demonstrated outstanding performance and very reliable and robust operation at all regimes including very stressful transient conditions such as adverse gravity orientation, sharp variations of input powers and condenser temperatures and startup, shut down, and restart of one of the evaporators keeping the second constantly in operation.