An Efficient, Reliable, Vibration-Free Refrigerant Pump for Space Applications

NASA's future remote sensing science missions require advanced thermal management technologies to maintain multiple instruments at very stable temperatures and utilize waste heat to keep other critical subsystems above minimum operational temperatures. Two-phase pumped loops are an ideal solution for these applications. A critical need for these pumped loops is a refrigerant pump that reliably circulates very slightly subcooled liquid refrigerant in the loop. Creare proposes to develop a reliable, vibration-free pump that has innovative features to prevent cavitation in the pumping chamber and in the hydrodynamic fluid bearings, enhancing the overall pumped loop reliability. The development of the refrigerant pump is built on Creare's proven pump technologies for space applications. In Phase I, we designed and built a proof-of-concept refrigerant pump and demonstrated its ability to reliably achieve the target flow rate and pressure rise, with a minimum required Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) less than 0.5 psi. In Phase II, we will optimize the pump rotor, bearing and motor designs; assemble a pump prototype; demonstrate its reliability and its steady state and transient performance under prototypical inlet conditions; and deliver it to NASA JPL for further performance evaluation.

The proposed refrigerant pump will enable reliable two-phase pumped loops for efficient and precision thermal control of critical instruments in remote sensing science satellites and exploration vehicles, including a future mission to Saturn?s moon Enceladus and the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. The pump technology also has applications in circulating condensate in water recovery systems, and in mixing and transferring cryogens and propellants in space propellant depots.

The reliable refrigerant circulation pump technology also has applications for advanced two-phase thermal control systems for high power electronics systems in commercial and military satellites and aircraft, as well as circulating pumps for chemicals, fuels, and cryogenic fluids.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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.