ThermAvant Technologies Secures NASA Project for Advanced Thermal Management in Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Systems
February 16, 2024 | COLUMBIA, MISSOURI — ThermAvant Technologies, the leading innovator in oscillating heat pipe (OHP) based thermal management systems (TMS), proudly announces Phase II project with NASA titled "Additively Manufactured, Structurally-Integrated, Passive Two-Phase Heat Sink for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Systems."
This project, as outlined by NASA's 2020-I SBIR A1.04 Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP), aims to enable next-generation electric aircraft by improving temperature control of critical components, even as their heat loads rise and their size and mass targets do not.
In Phase I of the project, ThermAvant Technologies (TAT) showcased a groundbreaking TMS with a Additively Manufactured Oscillating Heat Pipe (AM-OHP) heat sink. By additively embedding the OHP into the TMS power-dense heat sinks, several key advantages over the status quo were proven, including:
Improved specific heat transfer capacity of >4 kW/kg, a 50% mass reduction compared to the solid metal heat sink (and orders of magnitude less mass when compared to pumped, actively cooled alternatives);
Shorten lead times to reduce the design and manufacturing cycle by three-fold; and
Improved thermal performance and ruggedness where the heat sinks’ oscillating heat pipe thermal conductance proved independent of gravity and insensitive to variable, multi-heat source distributions.
ThermAvant Tech’s Principal Investigator, Patrick Margavio, expressed enthusiasm about the project, stating, “We are honored to collaborate with NASA on this transformative endeavor. AM-OHP technology holds the potential to make significant strides in enhancing aircraft fuel/energy economy and reducing emissions, especially for mechanically complex geometric structures. This aligns with the growing market for electric aircraft, projected to reach $27.7 Billion by 2030, and underscores the versatility of our AM-OHPs, which extend beyond the realm of electrified aviation. At ThermAvant, we've actively developed AM-OHPs across various applications, showcasing their efficacy in addressing high mechanical complexity in diverse technological landscapes.”
The anticipated benefits of this project extend to various sectors, including the Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT) program within the Aero Research Mission Directorate (ARMD), NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), Minute Man Missile, and small electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
ThermAvant Technologies remains dedicated to leveraging its expertise in thermal-mechanical solutions, with a focus on advancing mission-critical technologies and fostering innovation in the aerospace industry.
For further information about ThermAvant Technologies and its groundbreaking Oscillating Heat Pipe (OHP) based thermal management solutions, please visit our Oscillating Heat Pipe page.
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About ThermAvant Technologies:
ThermAvant Technologies is a designer and manufacturer of advanced thermal-mechanical solutions, and the world leader in the Oscillating Heat Pipe (OHP) technology. With over a dozen years of experience and more than $30 million of R&D funding, ThermAvant Tech helps its partners compete by removing thermal-mechanical constraints of their advanced military and commercial platforms where maximizing power and reliability while minimizing size and weight is mission-critical. The Company's Intellectual Property portfolio includes patents and proprietary trade secrets. ThermAvant Technologies is headquartered at its AS9100D-certified engineering, testing and manufacturing campus in Columbia, MO where its team creates the world’s most efficient thermal technologies to make the world a safer, more productive place for current and future generations.