Microgravity condensing heat exchanger

A microgravity condensing heat exchanger comprising;

• a duct defining a flow passage for air, and defining an airflow direction;
• a cold plate connected to source of cooling liquid, mounted to the duct;
• an array of aluminum condensing elements, arranged like open pages of a book, wherein the aluminum condensing elements form a stack like a binding of the book, the stack clamped in thermal conductive relation to the cold plate;
• each aluminum condensing elements of the array having water condensing portions which extend in a radial direction from the binding like the page of the open book, the water condensing portions are angularly spaced from each other and define capillary spaces where the aluminum condensing elements meet at the stack, like the pages and meet in the binding of the book, the water condensing portion extending into the flow passage defined by the duct, and parallel to the airflow direction;
• portions of the aluminum condensing elements forming communication openings between the capillary spaces;
• and
• a condensate drain connected between at least one of the capillary spaces, and a condensate pump to communicate condensate between the at least one of the capillary spaces and the condensate pump.

A process for condensing condensate from circulating gas in a cabin or room in microgravity comprising the steps of:

• circulating gases containing condensate vapor through a duct;
• within the duct pre-cooling by passing the gases through a precooler to cool the gases to a temperature approaching but not less than a dew point defined by the condensate vapor contained in the circulating gases;
• passing the pre-cooled gases parallel to and between a plurality of planer condensing elements which are actively cooled below the dew point, said plurality of planer condensing elements forming a condensing heat exchanger;
• condensing the condensate on hydrophilic surfaces formed on the condensing elements;
• collecting condensate in capillary spaces formed where the plurality of planer condensing elements are brought together forming apexes therebetween;
• communicating the collected condensate between the capillary spaces through openings formed in the planer condensing elements to define interconnected capillary spaces;
• measuring collected condensate between two of the plurality of planar condensing elements to determine a height of the condensate therebetween;
• and
• operating a pump to drain condensate from the interconnected capillary spaces when the measured condensate height is sufficient to prevent the gases from being entrained with the condensate.

A microgravity condensing heat exchanger comprising;

• a duct defining a flow passage for air flowing in an airflow direction;
• a cold plate connected to a source of cooling liquid, the cold plate being mounted within the duct;
• a first condensing element, a second condensing element, and a third condensing element, each having a base portion and a water condensing portion extending from the base portion, and each condensing element further having two opposed hydrophillic surfaces, and portions of each condensing element define a communication opening which extends between the two opposed hydrophillic surfaces;
• wherein the second condensing element base portion is clamped between the first condensing element base portion and the third condensing element base portion, and the clamped base portions of the first condensing element, second condensing element and third condensing element are engaged in thermally conducting relationship with the cold plate;
• wherein the water condensing portion of the first condensing element and the water condensing portion of the third condensing element extend in diverging relationship from the water condensing portion of the second condensing element to define a first capillary space between the first condensing element and the second condensing element, and a second capillary space between the second condensing element and the third condensing element, the water condensing portions extending into the duct flow passage parallel to the airflow direction, wherein the condensing element communication openings communicate with the first capillary space and the second capillary space;
• and
• a condensate drain connected in condensate receiving relation to at least one of the first capillary space and the second capillary space, the condensate drain being connected to a condensate pump.