Review of flow boiling and critical heat flux in microgravity

Space agencies worldwide are actively exploring the implementation of two-phase thermal management systems to support astronaut life onboard future space vehicles and planetary bases. Key motivations for these efforts are to increase the efficiency of power utilization and reduce overall weight and volume. These advantages are realized by orders of magnitude enhancement in heat transfer coefficient achieved with flow boiling and condensation compared to single-phase systems. This study will review published literature concerning two-phase flow and heat transfer in reduced gravity. Discussed are the different methods and platforms dedicated to exploring the influence of reduced gravity, including ground flow boiling experiments performed at different orientations relative to Earth gravity, as well as reduced gravity adiabatic two-phase flow, pool boiling, flow boiling and CHF experiments. Despite the extensive data and flow visualization results available in the literature, it is shown that there is a severe shortage of useful correlations, mechanistic models and computational models, which compromises readiness to adopt flow boiling in future space systems. Key recommendations are provided concerning platform, heater design, and operating conditions for future studies to expedite the deployment of two-phase thermal management in future space missions.