Phase Change Cooling of Spacecraft Electronics: Terrestrial Reference Experiments Prior to ISS Microgravity Experiments

Abstract

This experimental, terrestrial study is part of a larger effort to dissipate increased heat fluxes through enhanced pool boiling in spacecraft electronics prior to an extensive study to be conducted on the International Space Station under pristine microgravity conditions. The absence of buoyancy forces in microgravity causes vapor bubbles to grow to a very large size, leading to premature critical heat flux (CHF). Using an engineered surface modification, namely an asymmetric sawtooth ratchet, to create mobility of the vapor mass can alleviate this problem. The stainless steel (SS 316L) test surfaces were fabricated using powder bed fusion, a metal additive manufacturing process. Vapor mobility was observed in the downward-facing configuration for the asymmetric sawtooth structure explored in the stud y. A thin liquid film was observed underneath the vapor bubbles as they slid along the microstructure. The asymmetric nature of this liquid film is explored using high-speed imaging at the crest and trough of the sawtooth. The proposed asymmetric saw-tooth microstructure is a potential technique to induce motion of vapor bubbles across electronic components when reduced buoyancy forces do not detach vapor bubbles from the surface.