Investigation of the temperature distribution on radiator fins with micro heat pipes

A flexible micro-heat-pipe panel, fabricated by sintering an array of alumi num wires between two thin aluminum sheets, was developed as part of a prog ram to develop lightweight, flexible radiator fin structures for use on lon g-term spacecraft missions. A numerical model, which combined both conducti on and radiation effects, was established to predict the heat-transfer perf ormance and temperature distribution of the radiator fin in a simulated spa ce environment. Three different concepts are presented, evaluated, and disc ussed, Comparison of the predicted and experimental results indicated that the model developed herein can be used to accurately predict the temperatur e distribution and heat-transfer performance occurring in micro-heat-pipe r adiators, This comparison further indicates that the flexible radiator with the array of micro heat pipes has an effective thermal conductivity of mor e than 20 times that of the uncharged version and 10 times that of a solid material. This results in a more uniform temperature distribution, which co uld significantly improve the overall radiation effectiveness, reduce the o verall size, and meet or exceed the baseline design requirements for long-t erm manned missions to Mars.