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Titanium Heat Pipe Thermal Plane, Phase I
Completed
Description
Thermacore Inc. proposes an innovative titanium heat pipe thermal plane for passive thermal control of individual cells within a fuel cell stack. The proposed technology eliminates actively pumped liquid coolant loops, which improves system efficiency, reliability, safety, simplicity, life cycle as well as saves weight and volume. Although the main purpose for this technology is thermal management of fuel cells for space applications, the same technology can be applied for electronics cooling: heat spreaders and heat sinks, where thin design is required. The proposed titanium heat pipe thermal plane will be reliable passive heat transfer device with the following parameters: bulk density: under 3 grams per cubic centimeter, thickness: less than 0.050 inches, effective thermal conductivity: in excess of 2,000 W/(m K), electrical resistivity: less than 0.2 ohms-cm, operation against gravity: 4 inches
Details
| Technology area | Thermal Management Systems > Thermal Control Components and Systems > Heat Transport |
| Program | Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer (SBIR/STTR) |
| Lead organization | Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH |
| Start date | 2009-01-22 |
| End date | 2009-07-22 |
How to get involved
This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.
None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.