Life Test Approach for Refractory Metal/Sodium Heat Pipes
- Author:
- Reid, Robert S.
- Published:
- [2006].
- Physical Description:
- 1 electronic document
- Additional Creators:
- Martin, James J.
Online Version
- hdl.handle.net , Connect to this object online.
- Restrictions on Access:
- Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available.
Free-to-read Unrestricted online access - Summary:
- Heat pipe life tests described in the literature have seldom been conducted on a systematic basis. Typically one or more heat pipes are built and tested for an extended period at a single temperature with simple condenser loading. This paper describes an approach to generate carefully controlled data that can conclusively establish heat pipe operating life with material-fluid combinations capable of extended operation. Approximately 10 years of operational life might be compressed into 3 years of laboratory testing through a combination of increased temperature and mass fluence. Two specific test series have been identified and include: investigation of long term corrosion rates based on the guidelines contained in ASTM G-68-80 (using 7 heat pipes); and investigation of corrosion trends in a cross correlation sequence at various temperatures and mass fluences based on a central composite test design (using 9 heat pipes). The heat pipes selected for demonstration purposes are fabricated from a Mo-44.5%Re alloy with a length of 0.3 meters and a diameter of 1.59 cm(to conserve material) with a condenser to evaporator length ratio of approximately 3. The wick is a crescent annular design formed from 400-mesh Mo-Re alloy material hot isostatically pressed to produce a final wick core of 20 microns or less.
- Other Subject(s):
- Collection:
- NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
- Note:
- Document ID: 20060007776.
STAIF; 12-16 Feb. 2006; Albuquerque; Mexico. - Terms of Use and Reproduction:
- No Copyright.
View MARC record | catkey: 15962140