Single-Fluid-Pumped Radiators with Increased Turn-Down Ratio and Control in the Stagnation Regime

Fluid-pumped radiators are used to reject heat from structures to space. A fluid travels inside the structure to collect heat, and then travels external to the structure through radiators where the heat is rejected to space via radiation heat transfer. A radiator is essentially several tubes attached to a thermally conducting plate or face sheet. The fluid cools as it travels along the inside of the tubes, and then returns to the inside of the structure to repeat the heat rejection cycle. If the structure contains humans, the fluid in the structure must be nontoxic and nonflammable. Further, as space can be extremely cold (4 K), the fluid external to the structure may freeze, particularly during low-power operations where heat rejection needs are minimal. Freezing of the fluid renders the radiator inoperable, and unfreezing a radiator can be very difficult, power-intensive (i.e. heaters), and/or timely. For these reasons, two fluids may be used: one inside that is compatible with humans (e.g. water), and one outside that has a low freezing point (e.g. ammonia). The heat is then transferred from the inner loop to the external loop through a heat exchanger. This dual-loop system is more complex and heavier than a single-loop system. However, as the outer loop does not freeze as easily, the dual-loop radiator system can be operated at lower heat rejection loads, increasing its overall heat rejection range (or turn-down ratio) over that of the single-loop system.