TPX for In-Orbit Demonstration of Two-Phase Heat Transport Technology-Evaluation of Flight & Post-Flight Experiment Results

As two-phase flow and heat transfer is expected to strongly depend on the gravity level, a Two-Phase eXperiment has been developed for ESA to demonstrate two-phase heat transport system technology in orbit. TPX, a reduced-scale capillary pumped two-phase ammonia loop with a flat and a cylindrical capillary evaporator and an actively controlled reservoir for loop temperature setpoint control, included downscaled components of mechanically pumped loops: multichannel condensers, vapour quality sensors, and a controllable 3-way valve for vapour quality control exercises.

The presented detailed evaluation of the experiment results obtained during the TPX flight on STS60, clearly proves the viability of two-phase technology for space.