Heat Transfer and Its Applications in Space Engineering
1Southeast University, Nanjing, China
2Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
3University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
Heat Transfer and Its Applications in Space Engineering
Description
Increasing power requirements and heat dissipation demands in space exploration missions are gradually posing critical challenges to worldwide space agencies. Various approaches to heat transfer enhancement have been implemented to increase the efficiency of power utilization and reduce overall weight and volume. Unlike heat transfer in the terrestrial environment, the effects of the variable gravity field, large temperature difference, and corpuscular radiation must be endured in spacecraft systems. Heat transfer in the space environment and its applications in aerospace engineering are of great significance in various fields, such as electronic cooling, aircraft engine cooling, space shuttle thermal protection, spaceborne thermal radiometers, aircraft environmental control systems, and cryogenic systems for astronomical instruments.
Although several experimental and numerical works focused on heat transfer and its applications in space engineering have been conducted, the underlying mechanisms of thermal convection and thermal radiation in the space environment have yet to be fully understood. In addition, the theories and methods for thermal and environmental control in aerospace engineering must still be developed further to improve aircraft performance.
This Special Issue aims to highlight theories and techniques to meet the emerging challenges of thermal management in space engineering, with special emphasis on heat transfer and its applications. We invite original research articles and reviews focused on all aspects of heat transfer in the space environment, along with the properties or applications of heat transfer related to aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, and thermal engineering.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Boiling and condensation in variable gravity
- Gas-liquid two-phase flow in variable gravity
- Phase change phenomenon under microgravity
- Thermal radiation in the space environment
- Thermal management and protection in aerospace systems
- Heat pipes for thermal management in aerospace systems, including cryogenic heat pipes, loop heat pipes, and pulsating heat pipes