{"project":{"acronym":"","projectId":10453,"title":"A Self-Regulating Freezable Heat Exchanger for Spacecraft","primaryTaxonomyNodes":[{"taxonomyNodeId":10932,"taxonomyRootId":8816,"parentNodeId":10929,"level":3,"code":"TX14.2.3","title":"Heat Rejection and Storage","definition":"This area includes technologies to more effectively reject heat on a flight. Technologies are needed to make these methods more reliable and standardized and increase the capability for effective ground testing. This area includes technologies that manage system heat primarily through the use of the thermal and/or optical properties of a given material. This area includes in-space and ground applications.","exampleTechnologies":"Radiators, radiator turn-down devices (e.g. louvers, heat switches, variable conductance heat pipes), phase change materials, transpiration cooling, heat sinks, optical coatings, variable coatings, sunshades, molten salts, cryogens, evaporation, boiling, condensation, autonomous radiator maintenance, dust tolerant radiators, high heat load 500 - 500 kW rejection","hasChildren":false,"hasInteriorContent":true}],"startTrl":3,"currentTrl":4,"endTrl":4,"benefits":"A water coolant loop is usually part of the thermal control system for manned spacecraft. The water loop then interfaces with a Freon or ammonia loop to reject heat to the heat sink systems. A simpler approach would be to design the water coolant heat exchangers to be freeze tolerant and utilize the phase change of water to ice as part of the thermal control system. This would eliminate the need for a second heavier fluid loop using Freon or ammonia (heavier because these fluids are poorer heat transfer media). Further, a water/ice heat exchanger can use the buildup of ice to self-regulate heat transport from the spacecraft to space. This approach to thermal control should result in a safer and more reliable system. In spacesuits, a freeze tolerant heat exchanger/radiator system will dramatically reduce (by roughly 75%) the single largest consumable during EVA. A spacesuit radiator can replace the PLSS covering with very little net increase in weight and yet will cut the amount of water needed to cool the astronaut during an EVA by up to 6 lbs. This will represent a significant cost savings to future missions and especially in Lunar and Mars EVA missions where the reduction in water loss is not merely nice, it is essential.
The largest and nearest term commercial applications are the use of freeze tolerant tubing on earth. These earth-based applications include sprinkler systems and potable water supply in homes and commercial buildings. This market is potentially very large and virtually un-tapped because of the lack of a viable freeze tolerant tube. The Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction, says frozen pipes have cost the insurance companies in the USA $4.2 billion in damage to insured homes and buildings over the past decade (i.e., about $400,000,000 per year). The savings in insurance rates alone could more than offset the cost to the user, who would have the added benefit of not having valuables destroyed by water damage and their lives disturbed during repairs of the water damage.","description":"A spacecraft thermal control system must keep the cabin (both air and its structure if manned) and electronic equipment within a narrow temperature range even though the environment may vary from very cold to warmer than room temperature. Since water is safe to use and an excellent coolant (other than its high freeze point and volumetric expansion during freeze), a water coolant loop often is used to transport heat to or from the spacecraft via heat exchangers to the heat sink systems that reject heat to space. Some of the heat exchangers would freeze, particularly the ones transporting heat to a flash evaporator or cold radiators exposed to deep space, if not for system controls to prevent it. Yet, the principle of allowing a heat exchanger to freeze can be utilized to increase the turn-down of the heat rejection rate (e.g. to vary the heat rejection from radiators). Unfortunately, the expansion during the phase change of water to ice may damage and ultimately fail the heat exchanger if it is not designed to withstand this event. TDA Research, Inc. has been developing water/ice phase change heat exchangers for several years, since the thermal control system can be simpler (a secondary loop between the coolant water loop and the heat sink systems may no longer be needed) and smaller in size while reducing the use of consumables. Therefore, TDA Research and the University of Colorado propose a lightweight and freeze tolerant water/ice heat exchanger that can passively regulate the heat rejection rate from the water coolant loop to the heat sink systems. The heat exchanger will have no moving parts and thus will be extremely reliable. In Phase I, we will design and build a freeze tolerant water/ice heat exchanger without resorting to a large heavy-walled structure and then subject it to hundreds of freeze/thaw cycles to verify its integrity.","startYear":2012,"startMonth":2,"endYear":2013,"endMonth":2,"statusDescription":"Completed","principalInvestigators":[{"contactId":222638,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Jim","lastName":"Nabity","fullName":"Jim Nabity","fullNameInverted":"Nabity, Jim","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programDirectors":[{"contactId":206378,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Jason","lastName":"Kessler","fullName":"Jason L Kessler","fullNameInverted":"Kessler, Jason L","middleInitial":"L","primaryEmail":"jason.l.kessler@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programExecutives":[{"contactId":215154,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Jennifer","lastName":"Gustetic","fullName":"Jennifer L Gustetic","fullNameInverted":"Gustetic, Jennifer L","middleInitial":"L","primaryEmail":"jennifer.l.gustetic@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programManagers":[{"contactId":62051,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Carlos","lastName":"Torrez","fullName":"Carlos Torrez","fullNameInverted":"Torrez, Carlos","primaryEmail":"carlos.torrez@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"projectManagers":[{"contactId":332287,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Michael","lastName":"Ewert","fullName":"Michael K Ewert","fullNameInverted":"Ewert, Michael K","middleInitial":"K","primaryEmail":"michael.k.ewert@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false},{"contactId":461333,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Theresa","lastName":"Stanley","fullName":"Theresa M Stanley","fullNameInverted":"Stanley, Theresa M","middleInitial":"M","primaryEmail":"theresa.m.stanley@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"website":"","libraryItems":[],"transitions":[{"transitionId":68779,"projectId":10453,"transitionDate":"2013-02-01","path":"Closed Out","closeoutDocuments":[{"title":"Final Summary Chart","file":{"fileExtension":"pdf","fileId":307669,"fileName":"214051_02_11_2013_15_08_37","fileSize":237827,"objectId":68779,"objectType":{"lkuCodeId":1841,"code":"TRANSITION_FILES","description":"Transition Files","lkuCodeTypeId":182,"lkuCodeType":{"codeType":"OBJECT_TYPE","description":"Object Type"}},"fileSizeString":"232.3 KB"},"transitionId":68779,"fileId":307669}],"infoText":"Closed out","infoTextExtra":"","dateText":"February 2013"},{"transitionId":68780,"projectId":10453,"partner":"Other","transitionDate":"2013-07-01","path":"Advanced To","relatedProjectId":16153,"relatedProject":{"acronym":"","projectId":16153,"title":"A Self-Regulating Freezable Heat Exchanger for Spacecraft","startTrl":4,"currentTrl":6,"endTrl":6,"benefits":"A water coolant loop is usually part of the thermal control system for manned spacecraft. The water loop then interfaces with a Freon or ammonia loop to reject heat to the heat sink systems. A simpler approach would be to design the water coolant heat exchangers to be freeze tolerant and utilize the phase change of water to ice as part of the thermal control system. This would eliminate the need for a second heavier fluid loop using Freon or ammonia (heavier because these fluids are poorer heat transfer media). Further, a water/ice heat exchanger can use the buildup of ice to self-regulate heat transport from the spacecraft to space. This approach to thermal control will result in a safer and more reliable system. In spacesuits, a freeze tolerant heat exchanger/radiator system will dramatically reduce (by roughly 75%) the single largest consumable during EVA. A spacesuit radiator can replace the PLSS covering with very little net increase in weight and yet will cut the amount of water needed to cool the astronaut during an EVA by up to 6 lbs. This will represent a significant cost savings to future missions and especially in Lunar and Mars EVA missions where the reduction in water loss is not merely nice, it is essential.
The largest and nearest term commercial applications are the use of freeze tolerant tubing on earth. These earth-based applications include sprinkler systems and potable water supply in homes and commercial buildings. This market is potentially very large and virtually un-tapped because of the lack of a viable freeze tolerant tube. The Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction says frozen pipes have cost the insurance companies in the USA $4 billion in damage to insured homes and buildings over the past decade (i.e., about $400,000,000 per year). The savings in insurance rates alone could more than offset the cost to the user, who would have the added benefit of not having valuables destroyed by water damage and their lives disturbed during repairs of the water damage.","description":"A spacecraft thermal control system must keep the vehicle, avionics and atmosphere (if crewed) within a defined temperature range. Since water is non-toxic and good for heat transport, it is typically used as the coolant that circulates within the crew cabin boundary. This loop then interfaces with another low freeze point fluid, such as ammonia, for transport of heat to a radiator where the temperatures can be considerably below the freezing point of water. The volumetric expansion during freeze usually prevents its use in external systems since freezing will damage the components. Yet, if the system can accommodate the forces generated by freezing, then selectively allowing parts of a heat exchanger to freeze can be used to passively increase the turn-down of the heat rejection from radiators. TDA Research, Inc. has been developing freezable water/ice phase change heat exchangers for several years that offer several advantages: they can eliminate the need for a separate heavy Freon or ammonia loop; use the buildup of ice to regulate the rate of heat transfer, and the endotherm of melting ice can absorb peak loads from the spacecraft to reduce the size and mass of the radiator. Therefore, TDA Research and the University of Colorado set out to demonstrate a lightweight and freeze tolerant water/ice heat exchanger to passively regulate the heat rejection rate from the water coolant loop of a manned spacecraft to its heat sink systems. The heat exchanger has no actively moving parts and is thus extremely reliable. In Phase I, we designed and built a self-regulating freezable heat exchanger that we put through 191 freeze/thaw cycles without damage and it has the capability to transfer the loads expected in crewed spacecraft. In Phase II, we will design, build and test a large-scale freeze tolerant water/ice heat exchanger that forms the heart of a thermal control system that we will deliver to NASA.","startYear":2013,"startMonth":7,"endYear":2015,"endMonth":8,"statusDescription":"Completed","website":"","program":{"acronym":"SBIR/STTR","active":true,"description":"
The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"acronym":"STMD","canUserEdit":false,"city":"","external":false,"linkCount":0,"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","naorganization":false,"organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdId":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer"},"lastUpdated":"2024-1-10","releaseStatusString":"Released","viewCount":375,"endDateString":"Aug 2015","startDateString":"Jul 2013"},"infoText":"Advanced within the program","infoTextExtra":"Another project within the program (A Self-Regulating Freezable Heat Exchanger for Spacecraft)","dateText":"July 2013"}],"responsibleMd":{"acronym":"STMD","canUserEdit":false,"city":"","external":false,"linkCount":0,"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","naorganization":false,"organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"program":{"acronym":"SBIR/STTR","active":true,"description":"The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
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