Development of a Canister Module for PCM Coupled Heat Pipe in Spacecraft Thermal Management

This article investigates the performance of a canister module filled with phase change material (PCM) that is thermally coupled to an axially grooved heat pipe and designed for thermal management of unsteady or cyclic heat loads in spacecraft applications. The PCM canister stores heat from the electronic devices during brief transient peaks and slowly releases this heat to the heat pipe during idle cycle time. A rectangular prism canister module is manufactured and filled with eicosane based on the geometrical parameters obtained from a thermal network model. The performance of this canister is evaluated experimentally, and the thermal network model is validated. Detailed theoretical and experimental evaluation of heat balance for the PCM canister and the heat pipe is carried out. All the required input parameters, including the heat capacity of the heat pipe, for the thermal network model, are theoretically estimated and experimentally evaluated. In general, the difference between predicted and experimental temperature values is observed to be within 3 °C, except at the ends. PCM coupled heat pipes result in significant enhancement of the operating time and reduction in the peak temperature. This would be useful in spacecraft applications to reduce the size (and hence the mass) of the thermal radiator.