The increasing demand for “lightweight” has become key goals for the development of next generation heat pipes for space and aerospace applications. Axially grooved aluminium heat pipes have served for spacecraft thermal management systems for nearly thirty years. Due to a typical launch cost on the order of $10,000 per pound of spacecraft mass, magnesium alloys have been investigated as alternatives to aluminium. The present study has investigated the wettablity and phase change on the magnesium alloy surface. The pool nucleate boiling performance of acetone, ethanol and their mixtures is studied experimentally. Fundamental contact angle tests are also presented.
展开▼
