A study of the Constrained Vapor Bubble Heat Exchanger

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Xin Wang ◽  
Peter Wayner, Jr. ◽  
Ling Zheng ◽  
Joel Plawsky
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Vapor Bubble ◽  
Constrained Vapor Bubble

CONSTRAINED VAPOR BUBBLE HEAT EXCHANGER

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Huang ◽  
M. Karthikeyan ◽  
Joel L. Plawsky ◽  
Peter C. Wayner, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Vapor Bubble ◽  
Constrained Vapor Bubble

Condensate Removal Mechanisms in a Constrained Vapor Bubble Heat Exchanger

2002 ◽  
Vol 974 (1) ◽  
pp. 274-287
Author(s):  
LING ZHENG ◽  
YINGXIN WANG ◽  
PETER C. WAYNER ◽  
JOEL L. PLAWSKY
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Vapor Bubble ◽  
Removal Mechanisms ◽  
Constrained Vapor Bubble

The Constrained Vapor Bubble Experiment: Results From the International Space Station

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arya Chatterjee ◽  
Joel L. Plawsky ◽  
Peter C. Wayner ◽  
David F. Chao ◽  
Ronald J. Sicker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pipe ◽  
International Space Station ◽  
Vapor Bubble ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Optical Measurements ◽  
Space Environment ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
International Space ◽  
Constrained Vapor Bubble

The constrained vapor bubble (CVB) experiment is an experiment in thermal fluid science currently operating on the International Space Station. Flown as the first experiment on the Fluids Integrated Rack on the Destiny module of the US part of the space station, the experiment promises to provide new and exciting insights into the working of a wickless micro heat pipe in the micro-gravity environment. The CVB consists of a relatively simple setup — a quartz cuvette with sharp corners partially filled with pentane as the working fluid. Along with temperature and pressure measurements, the curvature of the pentane menisci formed at the corners of the cuvette can be determined using optical measurements. This is the first time the data collected in space environment is being presented to the public. The data shows that, while the performance of the CVB heat pipe is enhanced due to increased fluid flow, the loss of convection as a heat loss mechanism in the space environment, leads to some interesting consequences. We present some significant differences in the operating characteristics of the heat pipe between the space and Earth’s gravity environments and show that this has important ramifications in designing effective radiators for the space environment.

scholarly journals CONSTRAINED VAPOR BUBBLE

1997 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Wayner, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Vapor Bubble ◽  
Constrained Vapor Bubble

Experimental Study and Modeling of the Intermediate Section of the Nonisothermal Constrained Vapor Bubble

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Karthikeyan ◽  
J. Huang ◽  
J. Plawsky ◽  
P. C. Wayner
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Film ◽  
Vapor Bubble ◽  
Thermal Conductance ◽  
Width Ratio ◽  
Operating Pressure ◽  
Governing Parameter ◽  
Constrained Vapor Bubble ◽  
Operating Limits ◽  
Large Length ◽  
Intermediate Section

The generic nonisothermal constrained vapor bubble (CVB) is a miniature, closed heat transfer device capable of high thermal conductance that uses interfacial forces to recirculate the condensate on the solid surface constraining the vapor bubble. Herein, for the specific case of a large length-to-width ratio it is equivalent to a wickless heat pipe. Experiments were conducted at various heat loads on a pentane/quartz CVB to measure the fundamental governing parameter fields: temperature, pressure, and liquid film curvature. An “intermediate” section with a large effective axial thermal conductivity was identified wherein the temperature remains nearly constant. A one-dimensional steady-state model of this intermediate section was developed and solved numerically to yield pressure, velocity, and liquid film curvature profiles. The experimentally obtained curvature profiles agree very well with those predicted by the Young-Laplace model. The operating temperature of the CVB was found to be a function of the operating pressure and not a function of the heat load. Due to experimental design limitations, the fundamental operating limits of the CVB were not reached.

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