Abstract
For the thermal control of future space applications pumped two-phase loops are an essential part to handle the increasing thermal power densities. This study investigates the design of a reliable, leak tight, low-weight and high-pressure micro-pump for small satellite applications. The developed micro-pump uses a piezoelectric disk to create a pressure head and propel the working fluid. The micro-pumps are produced from Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4 V) using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) as a metal additive manufacturing technique. Two types of micro-valve designs are explored, namely (1) no moving parts valves and (2) passive check valves. Experimental validation shows promising results especially for micro-pumps using passive check micro-valves. Finally, the assembly of the entire micro-pump has been designed for SLM production. In the end, this would enable the future use of micro- pumps for space applications. Metal additive manufacturing, as relatively new manufacturing system, showcases promising results for both research work and final product
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 252-257 |
Journal | Procedia CIRP |
Volume | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 29 May 2013 |
Event | 46th CIRP Conference on Manufacturing Systems, CIRP CMS 2013 - Setúbal, Portugal Duration: 29 May 2013 → 31 May 2013 Conference number: 46 |
Keywords
- IR-90794
- METIS-297110