Advanced Electrohydrodynamic Thermal Management Technologies for Space and Aerospace Applications.

The use of electric fields to enhance or better control boiling heat transfer, particularly in microgravity conditions, has been identified for several decades by various space agencies. Two-phase heat transfer is an efficient way of transporting high heat flow densities. They are used in many thermal management systems, such as heat pipes, which were first developed for space applications and are now deployed in a wide range of terrestrial applications. This mode of heat transfer can also take place in space propulsion systems, particularly in propellant tanks. However, in the case of terrestrial applications, vapor and liquid flows are mainly controlled by gravitational effects, as these two phases have very different densities. In microgravity conditions, new volumetric forces are needed to compensate for the lack of buoyancy. The application of electric fields within a fluid makes it possible to generate new volumetric forces within a fluid, particularly at liquid-vapor interfaces, which can contribute to flows. A major advantage of this approach, compared with mechanical pumping, is the absence of moving parts, since electric fields can be applied by electrodes external to the fluid. A major difficulty in implementing this approach arises from the complexity of the coupled physical phenomena involved.

Faculty Supervisor:

James Cotton

Student:

Partner:

Université Grenoble Alpes

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

McMaster University

Program: