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Characterization and Evaluation of a Mass Efficient Heat Storage Device.The heat sponge is a device for mass-efficient storage of heat. It was developed to be incorporated in the substructure of a reentry or hypersonic vehicle to reduce thermal protection system requirements. The heat sponge consists of a liquid-vapor mixture contained within a number of miniature pressure vessels that can be embedded within a variety of different types of structures. As temperature is increased, pressure in the miniature pressure vessels also increases so that heat absorbed through vaporization of the liquid is spread over a relatively large temperature range. Using water as a working fluid, the heat storage capacity of the liquid-vapor mixture is many times higher than that of typical structural materials and is well above that of common phase change materials over the temperature range of 660oR to 1160oR. Prototype heat sponges were fabricated and characterized. These heat sponges consisted of 1.0 inch diameter hollow stainless steel spheres with a wall thickness of 0.020 inches which had varying percentages of their interior volumes filled with water. An apparatus to measure the heat stored in these prototype heat sponges was designed, fabricated, and verified. The heat storage capacity calculated from measured temperature histories is compared to numerical predictions.
Document ID
20070028863
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Splinter, Scott C.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Blosser, Max L.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Gifford, Andrew R.
(Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. Blacksburg, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
June 21, 2007
Subject Category
Mechanical Engineering
Meeting Information
Meeting: 17th International The Symposium (ITES)
Location: Birmingham, AL
Country: United States
Start Date: June 24, 2007
End Date: June 27, 2007
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 599489.02.07.07.02.02
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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