Thermal management system with sublimator and adsorbent bed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11285039-B2
Application number	US-201815979673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2018
Priority date	May 15, 2018
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

A thermal management system includes a space structure, a feed water container, a water feed line, a pump, and a filter device. The space structure includes a heat source connected with a fluid loop for conveying a working fluid through the heat source to regulate temperature and a sublimator connected with the fluid loop to receive the working fluid. The sublimator has a porous surface. The water feed line is connected with the container and the sublimator. The pump is located in the feed water line and is operable to move the feed water from the container to the sublimator. The sublimator is operable to cool the working fluid using the porous surface. The filter device is located in the water feed line between the pump and the feed water container. The filter device includes an adsorbent bed to remove organic compounds.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management system comprising:
a space structure including a heat source connected with a fluid loop for conveying a working fluid through the heat source to regulate temperature and a sublimator connected with the fluid loop to receive the working fluid, the sublimator having a porous surface;
a feed water container;
a water feed line connected with the feed water container and the porous surface of the sublimator;
a pump in the feed water line and operable to move the feed water from the feed water container to the porous surface of the sublimator, wherein the sublimator is operable to cool the working fluid by freezing and subliming the feed water using the porous surface; and
a filter device in the water feed line between the pump and the feed water container, the filter device including an adsorbent bed that is configured to remove organic compounds from the feed water that are capable of forming an adherent layer on the porous surface.

2. The thermal management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the space structure is a spacesuit.

3. The thermal management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the feed water container includes a fluoropolymer reservoir or stainless steel reservoir.

4. The thermal management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the filter device includes a biocide filter.

5. The thermal management system as recited in claim 4 , wherein the filter device includes a particle filter.

6. The thermal management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the organic compounds include one or more of abietic acid, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), acrylic acid oligomers, hexadecanoic acid, or n-butyl benzene sulfonamide (NBBS).

7. The thermal management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the adsorbent bed includes first and second adsorbent media, and the first and second adsorbent media are different with regard to adsorption capability of at least two of abietic acid, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), acrylic acid oligomers, hexadecanoic acid, and n-butyl benzene sulfonamide (NBBS).

8. The thermal management system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the adsorbent bed includes, by volume of a total amount of the first and second adsorbent media, from 40% to 60% of the first adsorbent media and from 60% to 40% of the second adsorbent media.

9. The thermal management system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the first and second adsorbent media are independently selected form the group consisting of activated carbon, zeolites, and combinations thereof.

10. The thermal management system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the first adsorbent media is synthetic activated carbon and the second adsorbent media is natural activated carbon.

11. The thermal management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the adsorbent bed includes adsorbent media, and the adsorbent media includes at least one of synthetic activated carbon, natural activated carbon, or combinations thereof.

12. The thermal management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the adsorbent bed includes first and second adsorbent media, the first adsorbent media is synthetic activated carbon that has a specific surface area of 1400 m 2 /g±10% and an apparent density of 0.4 g/cm 3 ±10%, and the second adsorbent media is natural activated carbon that has a specific surface area of 1150 m 2 /g±10% and an apparent density of 0.49 g/cm 3 ±0.03.

13. The thermal management system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the space structure is a spacesuit.

14. The thermal management system as recited in claim 13 , wherein the feed water container includes a fluoropolymer reservoir or stainless steel reservoir.

15. A method for providing clean feed water in a thermal management system including a space structure having a heat source connected with a fluid loop for conveying a working fluid through the heat source to regulate temperature and a sublimator connected with the fluid loop to receive the working fluid, the sublimator having a porous surface, a feed water container having feed water, the feed water having organic compounds that are capable of forming an adherent layer on the porous surface of the sublimator, a feed water line connected with the feed water container and the porous surface of the sublimator, and a pump in the feed water line to deliver the feed water from the feed water container to the porous surface of the sublimator, the method including, at a position upstream of the pump, removing the organic compounds from the feed water using a filter device to thereby provide clean feed water to the porous surface.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the removing includes using the filter device that has an adsorbent media including at least one of synthetic activated carbon, natural activated carbon, or combinations thereof.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the space structure is a space suit.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Steele John W
• Canga Peter A
• Peyton Barbara M
• Rector Tony
• Zupan Douglas

Classifications

• C02F9/20

  Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems · CPC title

• C02F1/283

  using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them · CPC title

• B01J2220/56

  Use in the form of a bed · CPC title

• B01J20/28011

  Other properties, e.g. density, crush strength · CPC title

• B01J20/165

  Natural alumino-silicates, e.g. zeolites · CPC title