For the first time, Chinese Completed in-orbit tests The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has announced thermal management of liquid metals on its space station.
During the tests, the device performed stably and several key technologies of the bismuth-based metal such as controlled melting, expansion and convective heat transfer were verified in microgravity, CMSA said.
Mounted in the Basic Space Experiment Cabinet in the Mengtian Space Laboratory Module, the device was one of the first five space technology experiments on the space station. The goal of these experiments is to gain knowledge that can support further testing and research possibilities. Human survival in space.
Since the inception of the laboratory module’s internal cabinet last October, It has given fruitful results in tests Space technology, including performance verification of liquid metals in space.
Liquid metals include alloy metals such as bismuth and gallium that flow at normal or slightly elevated temperatures while maintaining metallic properties. As the temperature decreases they turn into solid state.
Many properties of liquid metals like good conductivity, high boiling points and good heat transfer capabilities make them. Promising use in future space missionsAccording to the CMSA.
The orbiting experimental liquid metal thermal management device was developed by the Institute of Physics and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is designed based on bismuth-based metal.
As the device went into orbit, Various trials and tests were carried out, obtaining data on the convective heat transfer of liquid metals and their phase transition temperature control in microgravity, CMSA said. CMSA also said that this is the first time the country has conducted such a test in space.
