Capillary Pumped Diphasic Fluid Loop Passive Thermal Control Device with Thermal Capacitor

Abstract

The thermal control device comprises at least one capillary pumped diphasic fluid loop, comprising, in a known manner, an evaporator extracting the heat from a so-called hot source and connected via a vapour pipe to a condenser in which the condensation of the fluid vapour releases thermal energy transmitted to a so-called cold source, the condenser being connected via a liquid pipe to the evaporator, and the device moreover comprises at least one thermal capacitor in permanent heat exchange relationship with liquid phase fluid in said at least one diphasic fluid loop. Use in particular with space vehicles such as satellites.

1 . A closed circuit fluid coolant circulation thermal control device, capable of transferring heat from at least one so-called hot source to at least one so-called cold source, and comprising at least one capillary pumped diphasic fluid loop, which comprises an evaporator, intended to be placed in heat exchange relationship with said at least one hot source and supplied, through a microporous mass, connected to a liquid state diphasic fluid reserve, with liquid diphasic fluid intended to be vaporized in the said evaporator, connected by a vapour pipe to a condenser, intended to be placed in heat exchange relationship with said at least one cold source, to which heat is transmitted by the condensation in said condenser of vapour phase fluid into liquid phase fluid, which is returned to said evaporator by a liquid pipe connecting said condenser to said evaporator, wherein the device also comprises at least one thermal capacitor, in permanent heat exchange relationship with liquid phase fluid in said at least one diphasic fluid loop. 
   
   
       2 . The thermal control device according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one thermal capacitor comprises at least one thermal inertia mass. 
   
   
       3 . The thermal control device according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one thermal capacitor comprises at least one mass of at least one phase change material. 
   
   
       4 . The thermal control device according to  claim 3 , wherein said at least one phase change material is a liquid-gas phase change diphasic fluid. 
   
   
       5 . The thermal control device according to  claim 3 , wherein said at least one phase change material is a solid-liquid phase change material. 
   
   
       6 . The thermal control device according to  claim 3  wherein said at least one phase change material is selected to adjust an operating range of said at least one diphasic fluid loop and said hot source. 
   
   
       7 . The thermal control device according to  claim 3  wherein said at least one phase change material is selected so that the control device operates as a thermal switch, stopping the operation of said at least one diphasic fluid loop under given temperature conditions of at least one of said cold source and hot source. 
   
   
       8 . The thermal control device according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one thermal capacitor is in heat exchange relationship principally with at least a part of said liquid pipe of said at least one diphasic fluid loop. 
   
   
       9 . The thermal control device according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one thermal capacitor is in heat exchange relationship principally with said liquid fluid reserve of said at least one diphasic fluid loop. 
   
   
       10 . The thermal control device according to  claim 9 , wherein said at least one thermal capacitor is in direct contact with said evaporator of said at least one diphasic fluid loop. 
   
   
       11 . The thermal control device according to  claim 9 , wherein said at least one thermal capacitor is remote relative to said evaporator of said at least one diphasic fluid loop, and in heat exchange relationship with said evaporator by means of at least one of a heat pipe and an intermediate heat transfer loop. 
   
   
       12 . The thermal control device according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one thermal capacitor is fixed to or in a housing of said evaporator, which contains said liquid fluid reserve and said microporous mass of said at least one diphasic fluid loop, and close to a liquid fluid intake, originating from said corresponding liquid pipe, in said housing, on a side of said housing opposite a hot face of said evaporator, forming an interface with one of said hot source an intermediate heat transfer loop and a heat pipe, and close to a vapour fluid outlet communicating with said corresponding vapour pipe. 
   
   
       13 . The thermal control device according to  claim 12 , wherein at least one spring, for example helical, pushes against a base of said housing adjacent to said thermal capacitor to push back said microporous mass towards said hot face of said evaporator said spring being arranged in said liquid fluid reserve. 
   
   
       14 . The thermal control device according to  claim 12  wherein said housing of said evaporator is equipped with a liquid fluid intake tube originating from said liquid pipe and a vapour fluid outlet tube communicating with said vapour pipe, and contains said microporous mass separating, in said housing, a fluid liquid reserve space, which communicates with said intake tube, from an evaporation space, which communicates with said outlet tube, and which is enclosed by said hot face arranged as a heat conducting interface plate with said hot source to be cooled. 
   
   
       15 . The thermal control device according to  claim 1  for the temperature control of said hot source comprising at least one piece of dissipating equipment on a spaceship, with heat transfer to said cold source that is a heat sink comprising at least one radiator of said spaceship. 
   
   
       16 . The thermal control device according to  claim 4 , wherein said liquid-gas phase change diphasic fluid is identical to the fluid in said at least one diphasic fluid loop. 
   
   
       17 . The thermal control device according to  claim 4 , wherein said liquid-gas phase change diphasic fluid is different from the diphasic fluid in said loop.