Thermal control canister

Details Thermal control canister Thermal control canister

1977-11-21

1979-07-31

Myhre, Charles J.

Heat exchange

Movable heating or cooling surface

Rotary drum

165105, 244 1R, 244163, G05D 2300

Patent

active

041627016

ABSTRACT:
A heat dissipating instrument package of a spacecraft, located in a canister having walls in heat transfer relationship with the package, is maintained at a substantially constant temperature. Fixed conductance heat pipes on the canister walls are connected to variable conductance heat pipes, mounted on a radiator structure separated from the canister walls by a thermal blanket. The effective radiating area of the radiator structure is controlled by the variable conductance heat pipes in response to a comparison of a sensed temperature of the instrument package or the canister wall with a seat point value. The comparison controls a heater in a gas reservoir containing a non-condensable gas of the variable conductance heat pipe. To enable the set point to be varied over a relatively wide range, such a 0.degree.-30.degree. C., a thermal radiation shield for the gas reservoir prevents radiant energy from the exterior environment and thermal energy reflected from the spacecraft from overheating the non-condensable gas. In one embodiment, variable conductance heat pipe headers are provided between the canister and radiators, with isothermalizer feeder pipes on the radiators and canister walls; in further embodiments, variable conductance heat pipe feeder pipes are coupled directly between the canister walls and one or more radiators.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3402761 (1968-09-01), Swet
patent: 3489203 (1970-01-01), Fischell
patent: 3517730 (1970-06-01), Wyatt
patent: 3525386 (1970-08-01), Grover
patent: 3672443 (1972-06-01), Bienert
patent: 3749156 (1973-07-01), Fletcher
patent: 4033406 (1977-07-01), Basiulis

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