Passive and compact liquid metal heat switch

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.

This project looks at how heat switches can manipulate the flow of thermal energy and the passive regulation of spacecraft internal temperatures, irrespective of environmental conditions and at all stages of the mission. The successful implementation of heat switches enables unprecedented human- and science-based missions of small and large spacecraft structures on the moon, on Mars, and in deep space and has a direct scientific impact in the area of dynamic liquid-structure interactions

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