| The
microheater array experiment was upgraded by NASA to flight status in 2002.
A test facility is currently being designed by NASA
Glenn and ZIN Technologies
for the Microgravity
Science Glovebox (MSG) facility on the International
Space Station. The experiment is called Microheater Array Boiling Experiment
(MABE), and is one of two experiments that will make up the Boiling eXperiment
Facility (BXF). The other experiment is the Nucleate Pool Boiling eXperiment
(NPBX) from Professor V. Dhir's lab at UCLA. The logo for BXF is shown at
right.
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| Preliminary design of the test chamber. We will be flying two heater array sizes, 2.7 mm and 7.0 mm. High speed video (500 Hz) will be record the bubble behavior from the bottom, and side view images at 30 Hz will be obtained from the side. Data will be recorded at 500 Hz. We will study the effects of heater size, subcooling, and pressure on the boiling curves. |
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| Preliminary layout of BXF in MSG. The test chamber is within the cylindrical containment vessel at right. |
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| Photograph of the MSG. |
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| The
payload has been manifested for a shuttle flight to the ISS in July,
2006.
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