The use of heat pipes for enhancing the overall heat rejection capability of the radiative fins of a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) offers significant weight savings for these systems. Copper/water heat pipes are best suited for these applications because of the associated operating temperature range and materials compatibility considerations. However, previous experience with copper/water heat pipes has shown that long term materials compatibility is a problem particularly when temperatures exceed 150 C. This paper presents a discussion of copper/water RTG heat pipe experience and describes the development of oxide coated axially-grooved copper/water heat pipes which have demonstrated more than 8000 hours of continuous operation at 225 C with no gas generation attributable to chemical incompatibility. The chemical oxide coating is described as well as the life test results. In addition, the thermal performance of the axially grooved heat pipes which were optimized for the Department of Energy sponsored Selenide Isotope Generator (SIG), which will provide power for the 1982 Galileo Mission, is presented.
Copper/water axially-grooved heat pipes for RTG applications
Axialgenutetes Waermerohr aus Kupfer fuer die Anwendung bei radioaktiven thermoelektrischen Generatoren (RTG)
PROC. OF THE 13TH INTERSOC. ENERGY CONVERSION ENGNG. CONF. ; 2 , Aug ; 1707-1711
1978
5 Seiten, 7 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 1 Quelle
Conference paper
English
Axially grooved heat pipes - 1976
AIAA | 1977
|Axially Grooved Heat Pipes: 1976
AIAA | 1978
|