Redundant Two-Phase Thermal Structure Assembly for Long Heat Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing two-phase heat transfer systems, particularly heat pipes, face limitations in configuration options and size due to extrusion manufacturing, restricting their ability to achieve complex designs and lengths greater than 500 mm, which are necessary for thermal control in space environments requiring redundancy.
Innovation Solution
A redundant thermal control device is constructed by assembling two-phase structures with a bridge, each comprising distinct stages and sealed enclosures, connected via a watertight partition, allowing for continuous liquid and vapor paths through capillary media and vapor channels, ensuring hermetic sealing and redundancy over extended lengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional thermal-control devices are used for full-face coverage, then thermal control coverage is improved, but device weight and heat transfer efficiency deteriorate due to heat conduction through contact surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the headgear component from the thermal control device, creating a headgearless design that eliminates heat transfer through contact surfaces while maintaining full-face coverage through direct application of the flexible membrane to the face
2Area of stationary object
If device length and coverage area are increased for full-face protection, then thermal control coverage is improved, but manufacturing precision and assembly difficulty worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal control device is segmented into multiple expandable cells arranged in arrays across the flexible membrane. Each cell can be independently manufactured and then assembled, allowing for precise control of individual components while achieving large overall coverage area when the cells are expanded together
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes a nested structure where inflatable cells are contained within the flexible membrane framework. When deflated, the cells nest within the membrane structure, creating a compact form that is easy to manufacture and assemble. When inflated, the nested cells expand to provide full-face coverage with precise geometric control
3Reliability
If redundant thermal control is provided for extreme environments, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural framework, acts as the thermal control surface, enables expansion and contraction for redundancy, and facilitates heat distribution across the entire face coverage area. This multi-functionality achieves reliable thermal control without increasing overall device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables the creation of complex, redundant two-phase structures suitable for space applications, providing enhanced heat exchange capacity and mechanical strength, while maintaining compactness and ease of manufacturing through additive manufacturing techniques.
Implementation Method 1
the expandable cells are in an expanded state, wherein the redundant thermal-control device assumes a shape that substantially conforms to a shape of a user's face
Implementation Method 2
complex two-phase structures... providing both structural integrity and thermal insulation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to 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 vapour channel. Each two-phase structure has an assembly end where the stages each have an open connection end (50, 60; 51, 61) and where the first stage has a section that projects from the second stage. At their connection 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 bead (20, 21). A bridge (10), comprising a sealed enclosure with a vapour channel and a capillary medium, is housed in the space between the connection ends (60, 61) of the second stages; a sealed and closed weld bead (22, 23) connects the sealed enclosures of the bridge and the two-phase structures.