CCHeatPipeCooled Leading Edges for Space Shuttle Orbiter

1
C-C/Heat-Pipe-Cooled Leading Edges for Space
Shuttle Orbiter
Area(s) of Significant Benefit Safety
Performance Sustainability
Operations Infrastructure

• Description
• A Carbon-Carbon Heat-Pipe-Cooled Leading Edge
  will be designed, analyzed, fabricated, and
  tested for the Space Shuttle Orbiter. The concept
  uses refractory-metal/liquid- metal heat pipes
  embedded inside C-C.
• Molybdenum-Rhenium/Lithium heat pipes embedded
  within a 3-D woven refractory-composite material
  such as Carbon- Carbon or C/SiC.
• Heat pipes cool the stagnation region by
  transporting heat to the upper and lower surfaces
  where it is rejected by radiation.
• The design is passive, redundant and fail safe in
  the event of multiple heat-pipe failures. It
  significantly increases the margin and
  performance of the leading edge and enables
  additional high energy TAL options and trajectory
  modifications to minimize heating to acreage
  areas in the event of off nominal tile damage.

• Technologies and Capabilities
• LaRC has 30 years experience developing
  heat-pipe-cooled leading edges for Space
  Transportation Systems.
• LaRC successfully tested (Hypersonic wind tunnel
  and radiant lamp testing) an all metallic
  heat-pipe leading edge for the Orbiter in the
  70s which reduced maximum temperatures from 2800
  deg. F to 1800 deg. F.
• Design, analysis, and test experience for leading
  edges resides at LaRC and JSC. The proposed
  effort would involve both centers.
• Components of a C-C/heat-pipe-cooled leading edge
  have already been fabricated and successfully
  tested to heating rates over six times that
  expected for the Shuttle Orbiter application.
• Use of radiant heat lamp facilities and arc jets
  at JSC and radiant lamps and the 8 High
  Temperature Tunnel at LaRC will be used to verify
  predicted performance certify readiness for
  flight test.

• POC, Cost, Schedule and Maturity
• POC Charles J. Camarda (JSC - 281-244-8691)
• Maturity Components and elements have been
  successfully fabricated and tested to verify
  performance. Estimated TRL 3-4.
• Cost Total of 10M over 4 years to develop.
  200M to outfit 10 panels on each wing of all
  three vehicles plus spares.

2
C-C/Heat-Pipe-Cooled Leading Edges for Space
Shuttle Orbiter

• Total Project Costs 210 M (200 M
  Implementation)
• Design Studies/Trades 0.5 M
• Manufacturing Development 2.5 M
• Fabrication and Test 5 M
• Project Submitted By Charles J. Camarda NASA
  JSC, [phone]