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The SHARE II (Space Station Advanced Radiator Experiment II) Mid-deck Experiment was flown on board the Space Shuttle (STS-37) from April 5 to 12, 1991. The purpose of the experiment was to demonstrate the operation of several design changes proposed for the NASA/Grumman SHARE II heat pipe as a result of the lessons learned during the first SHARE flight (STS-29) in March 1989. Two test articles flew during the mission. The first, the Bubble Management Test Article, was a Plexiglas model of the monogroove heat pipe. This test article was primarily used to evaluate the performance of two 0-g bubble management devices; the re-designed evaporator screen artery and the condenser bubble trap. The second, the Blended Manifold Priming Test Article, also constructed of Plexiglas, was used to demonstrate passive self-priming of a heat pipe blended manifold connecting three evaporator legs to a single condenser leg.

A two-phase accumulator for use in two-phase active thermal control systems has been developed and successfully tested as part of the Grumman Prototype Two-Phase Thermal Bus system. The two-phase accumulator works on the principle of direct energy transfer out of and into the vapor space of the accumulator via subcooled liquid spray and warm vapor addition. Analysis and design of this unique accumulator are discussed, as well as the test results obtained during ambient testing in the NASA-JSC Thermal Test Bed. Test results indicated the ability of the accumulator to control bus setpoint within 2°F over a wide variety of load and environmental conditions.

The feasibility of two-phase heat transport systems for use on Space Station was demonstrated by testing the Thermal Bus Technology Demonstrator (TBTD) as part of the Integrated Two-Phase System Test in NASA-JSCs Thermal Test Bed. Under contract to NASA-JSC, Grumman is currently developing the successor to the TBTD, the Prototype Thermal Bus System (TBS). The TBS design, which uses ammonia as the working fluid, is intended to achieve a higher fidelity level than the TBTD by incorporating both improvements based on TBTD testing and realistic design margins, and by addressing Space Station issues such as redundancy and maintenance. The TBS is currently being fabricated, with testing scheduled for late 1987/early 1988. This paper describes the TBS design which features fully redundant plumbing loops, five evaporators designed to represent different heat acquisition interfaces. 14 condensers which mate with either space radiators or facility heat exchangers, and several modular components.

During the period from Feb. 1984 to April 1985, test data have been obtained on several of the Space Constructible radiator (SCR) system components, such as the high capacity monogroove heat pipe, the contact heat exchanger, and the heat pipe disconnect. In light of both the performance data that are now available and the changes in Space Station requirements that have occurred since the inception of the SCR program in 1979, an optimization study of the entire SCR system is warranted. This paper reports the results of that study, which includes performance, weight, and reliability estimates.