Mitigating conflict between effective thermal management and high-density thermal storage in microgravity via electric field enhancement

The importance of effective thermal management technology in microgravity is increasingly recognised with the advancement of space exploration. Cooling techniques based on phase change materials (PCMs) have shown potential in recent thermal management applications; however, the suppression of natural convection in microgravity limits heat transfer and melting rates. This study investigates the enhancement of thermal management of heat loads in microgravity using an electric field. A numerical solver for melting was developed on the OpenFOAM platform, coupling electric and thermal fields. The effects of injection intensity ( C ) and gravity on melting rates, thermal management, and thermal energy storage were systematically analysed. Results indicate that electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects promote melting by altering vortex structures and temperature distribution. The melting enhancement coefficient based on the increase of liquid fraction reaches 20.3% at 0.17 g and 10 kV, with C = 10. Three peaks in the Nusselt number are observed after the thermal conduction stage due to EHD. The uniform development of vortices enhances performance in low-gravity environments at C = 0.1. Higher melting rates increase latent heat storage, while slower melting leads to a rapid rise in sensible heat, indicating a trade-off between storage efficiency and effective thermal management. This study demonstrates the capability of heat transfer to regulate the operating temperature of heat loads in microgravity using an electric field, providing a promising solution for advanced thermal management in space applications with reduced energy consumption.