Meet the team: DEPLOY!
The Two-phase fluid pressure drops analysis for a helicoidal capillary heat pipe (DEPLOY!) experiment team is composed of 6 master’s and PhD students from the universities of Pisa, Brighton, and Parma. The aim of the experiment is to observe the behavior in microgravity of a Deployable Pulsating Heat Pipe.
The DEPLOY! Project is the collaborative effort of six students from the universities of Pisa, Brighton, and Parma and their academic supervisors. This project aims to study the behaviour of a flexible Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP) in microgravity conditions. PHPs are passive heat exchangers with intriguing applications in space, due to their lightness and independency from external power sources. The peculiar flexibility of this PHP could be advantageously used to connect the interior of a satellite to its retractable radiator panels.
The research team primarily works remotely, and the experiment will be completed only at the beginning of the parabolic flight campaign. Beyond the logistical challenges associated with such a complex endeavour, there is the exciting aspect of collaborating with students from diverse academic backgrounds and cultural contexts.
The experimental setup comprises the flexible PHP, a thermal system responsible for heating and cooling at its two opposing ends, an automation system that allows for altering its configuration by adjusting the inclination between the condenser and evaporator, a data acquisition system equipped with thermal and pressure sensors on the PHP, and a thermal camera that monitors the surface temperature of a section of the PHP near the heater. All of this is enclosed within a protective metal structure for safety purposes, and operators can monitor and manage the experiment remotely from a secondary control facility.
The team is composed of Alessandro Billi (M.Sc Aerospace engineering, Pisa), Erin Saltmarsh (MEng aeronautical engineering, Brighton), Vittorio Rosellini (M.Sc robotics engineering, Pisa), Silvia Picchi (M.Sc Energetic engineering, Pisa), Michele Bocelli (PhD industrial engineering, Parma), Nicola Ricci (M.Sc Energetic engineering, Pisa). Supported and supervised by Prof. Sauro Filippeschi and Dr. Mauro Mameli (Department of Energy, Systems Land and Construction Engineering, University of Pisa), Dr. Nicolas Miché (School of architecture, technology and engineering, University of Brighton), and Prof. Fabio Bozzoli (Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Parma).
Stay updated with the DEPLOY! Project by visiting their website at deploy.unipi.it, or you can connect with them on Instagram: @Deploy.project, and on LinkedIn at: DEPLOY! Project.
