The lab is equipped to investigate the thermal performance characteristics of heat pipes under various environmental conditions and different elevations. The existing hardware includes space-qualified loop heat pipes (LHP), arterial and axially grooved heat pipes.
The image on the left shows one half segment of a flight-like model of a Pressure Regulating Valve controlled LHP manufactured by IberEspacio, Spain. This design represents a novel thermal architecture to connect the east and west radiators of a geostationary telecommunication spacecraft.
The drawing on the right illustrates the general view of the east-west radiator connection architecture, which was flown on board the satellite Hispasat 1E as a demonstrator.
The lab has also a small vacuum chamber instrumented to study the stability of an evaporating meniscus. The instrumentation includes a high speed camera and microscope.
The instability of a heated meniscus in a capillary tube