Open AccessRADIATORS FOR SPACE POWER PLANTS
Author(s) -
A.P. Fraas
Publication year - 1959
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/4092753
Subject(s) - radiator (engine cooling) , meteoroid , meteor (satellite) , environmental science , aerospace engineering , mechanical engineering , optics , engineering , meteorology , physics , astrobiology
An improved heat sink for space vehicles was proposed in Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report CF-59-1-21. Subsequent work on the problem indicated a substantial probability of a puncture of such a radiator by meteors. To meet this problem, a modified geometry was evolved for which the probability of a meteor puncture should be reduced by a factor of at least 100, relative to the radiator of the original proposal, at the expense of an increase in radiator weight of posslbly 30%. This proposal constitutes what is believed to be a new concept in the design of radiators for space vehicles in that fins are provided on the radiator tubes in such a manner that, when used in conjunction with an involute heat reflector, they protect the vulnerable portion of the tube wall from direct impingement by meteors, and in this way the fins greatly reduce the probability of a puncture. (auth