Lightweight Thermal Storage Heat Exchangers, Phase I

This SBIR proposal aims to develop thermal energy storage heat exchangers that are significantly lighter and higher conductance than the present art which involves significant metal weight. We aim to use carbon fiber for conductive and convective heat transfer enhancements and replace metal with novel carbon-polymer composites. The concept materials can be configured to serve a broad range of thermal management applications for NASA, in particular thermal storage heat exchangers. Phase 1 will gather NASA requirements for near term systems involving active cooling with single- and two-phase loops passive cooling with heat pipes. In particular the Constellation program and the Orion vehicle will be considered to assess the potential benefits of the proposed materials approach. Initial fabrication and characterization of the materials concept will be performed. Design options for Phase 2 development units will be prepared. More »