Non-conducting magnetic fluids and their application for heat removal in micro-gravity conditions

Abstract

We propose a comprehensive theoretical and experimental investigation (including ground-based studies and experiments conducted on board of the International Space Station) with the aim of understanding and quantifying transport properties of nonconducting ferrofluids and physics of their flows. The specific emphasis is on using such fluids for safe and reliable heat removal in micro-gravity conditions of a realistic spacecraft. Our preliminary investigation indicates that compact magneto-convection heat removal systems can operate in zero-gravity conditions and deliver better efficiency than their conventional convection-based counterparts operating at normal gravity