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Technical Paper

Analysis of Salient Events from the Two-Phase Flow (TPF) Thermal Control Flight Experiment

1998-07-13
981817
The Two Phase Flow (TPF) Thermal Control Flight Experiment is an integrated two-phase thermal control system designed to address capillary pumped loop (CPL) component and system performance issues in the microgravity environment of space. The TPF experiment was flown aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-85) in August 1997 as part of the Technology Applications and Science-01 (TAS-01) mission. Ground and flight tests were performed to demonstrate reliable system start-up from the flooded state and sustained operation under various heat loads and conditions. Use of any of the large evaporator elements as a sacrificial starter pump in conjunction with the capillary vapor flow valve (CVFV) resulted in successful system start-up subsequent to which normal operation was demonstrated for an extended period of time. As expected, start-up from the flooded state with smaller evaporator elements was consistently unsuccessful.
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