Patricia Weisensee
Washington University in St Louis
The availability of efficient heat switches, which facilitate the dissipation of heat to the environment at high temperatures (> 15°C) and prevent heat exchange at low temperatures (< -15°C), would allow to maintain all vehicle components within an appropriate temperature range throughout all mission phases and enable an unprecedented exploration of the moon and deep space. In this project we will explore the use of a room temperature liquid metal, passively actuated in a channel, to connect or disconnect two thermal conductors, turning the switch ON or OFF, respectively. Compared current state-of-the-art technologies for passive heat switches, this technology enhances the structural integrity of the switch, as the conductors are stationary, with only the liquid metal plug moving within a pre-described channel. Overall, we expect this compact and light-weight thermal switch to achieve conductance ratios of at least 500 : 1 (up to 1000 : 1) over a large area at a full ON performance > 6 W/K.