Long-length redundant thermal control device with complex two-phase structures, assembly method and manufacturing process

Abstract

A redundant thermal control device comprising two two-phase structures (1, 2) with stages obtained by additive manufacturing, each stage (5, 6) comprising a sealed enclosure with a capillary medium and a vapor channel. Each two-phase structure has an assembly end where the stages each have an open connecting end (50, 60; 51, 61) and where the first stage has a section extending outward from the second stage. At their connecting ends (50, 51), the sealed enclosures of the first stages of the two-phase structures are joined and welded together by a closed, sealed peripheral weld bead (20, 21). A bridge (10), comprising a sealed enclosure with a vapor channel and a capillary medium, is housed in the space between the connecting ends (60, 61) of the second stages; a closed, sealed weld bead (22, 23) connects the sealed enclosures of the bridge and the two-phase structures. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 2

Claims

8b) for circulating the two-phase fluid in vapor phase, each of the two-phase structures comprising at least one assembly end (3, 4) for assembling said two-phase structure with the other two-phase structure, the sealed enclosures (7a, 7b) of each two-phase structure being open at the assembly end, the first and second stages each having a connection end (50, 60; 51, 61) at the assembly end, the first stage of each of the two-phase structures having, at its assembly end, a projecting section (52, 53) which projects from the second stage so that, when the connection end (50) of the first stage of the first two-phase structure (1) is placed against or in the immediate vicinity of the connection end (51) of the first stage of the second two-phase structure (2),that their capillary media (9a) join to form a first liquid path and that their vapor channels (8a) join to form a first vapor path, a space remains between the connecting ends (60, 61) of the second stages of the two-phase structures, and where the bridge has a sealed enclosure (7c) comprising a capillary medium (9c) for circulating the two-phase fluid in the liquid phase, a vapor channel (8c) for circulating the two-phase fluid in the vapor phase and two open connecting ends (100, 101), the bridge being configured to be housed in the space between the connecting ends (60, 61) of the second stages of the two-phase structures and so that its connecting ends (100, 101) are then in contact with the connecting ends of the second stages, the capillary medium (9c) of the bridge and the vapor channel (8c) of the bridge being configured to form a junction between, respectively,the capillary media (9b) and the vapor channels (8b) of the second stages to form, respectively, a second continuous liquid path and a second continuous vapor path, then, - an assembly of said two-phase structures in accordance with the assembly method according to one of claims 6 to 9. [Fig. 1] [Fig. 2]

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