Devices and methods are provided herein useful to thermal management. In some embodiments, a thermal management device includes a housing with a fixed amount of working fluid disposed therein. The substrate is in thermal communication with the thermal management device such that evaporation of the working fluid controls the temperature of the substrate. Evaporated working fluid exits the housing through one or more vents. The housing further includes a plurality of supports that increase the surface area to volume ratio of the housing. The high surface area to volume ratio of the housing increases the rate of heat transfer and also minimizes or otherwise reduces the size and weight of the thermal management device. The supports may further serve to mechanically support the substrate, enabling the housing to act as a combined thermal and mechanical device.

Devices and methods are provided herein useful to thermal management. In some embodiments, a thermal management device includes a housing with a fixed amount of working fluid disposed therein. The substrate is in thermal communication with the thermal management device such that evaporation of the working fluid controls the temperature of the substrate. Evaporated working fluid exits the housing through one or more vents. The housing further includes a plurality of supports that increase the surface area to volume ratio of the housing. The high surface area to volume ratio of the housing increases the rate of heat transfer and also minimizes or otherwise reduces the size and weight of the thermal management device. The supports may further serve to mechanically support the substrate, enabling the housing to act as a combined thermal and mechanical device.

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices for phytochemical extraction. One example extraction system includes two solvent columns, a material column, and a dewaxing column. The solvent columns store and provide solvent for stripping target chemicals from plant material in the material column. The solvent mixed with target chemicals passes into the dewaxing column, where the target chemicals are separated from waxes and lipids. Cooling is applied to elements of the system by way of an open-loop CO2 refrigeration method. Solvent is moved from the solvent columns to the material column by creating a pressure differential between the two solvent columns.

Thermal management systems include an open-circuit refrigeration system featuring a receiver configurable to store a refrigerant fluid, an evaporator configurable to extract heat from a heat load when the heat load contacts the evaporator, and an exhaust line, where the receiver, the evaporator, and the exhaust line are connected to form a refrigerant fluid flow path, and a first control device configurable to control a vapor quality of the refrigerant fluid at an outlet of the evaporator along the refrigerant fluid flow path.

Thermal management systems include an open-circuit refrigeration system featuring a receiver configurable to store a refrigerant fluid, an evaporator configurable to extract heat from a heat load when the heat load contacts the evaporator, and an exhaust line, where the receiver, the evaporator, and the exhaust line are connected to form a refrigerant fluid flow path, and a first control device configurable to control a vapor quality of the refrigerant fluid at an outlet of the evaporator along the refrigerant fluid flow path.

A thermal management system includes a refrigerant receiver having a refrigerant receiver outlet and a refrigerant receiver inlet, with the refrigerant receiver configured to store a refrigerant fluid, an ejector having a primary flow inlet coupled to receive the refrigerant fluid from the receiver, a secondary flow inlet and an outlet. The system also includes a liquid separator having an inlet, a vapor side outlet, and a liquid side outlet, an evaporator arrangement to extract heat from a heat load proximate or in contact with the evaporator arrangement, with the evaporator arrangement coupled to the ejector and the liquid separator, a closed-circuit refrigeration system having a closed-circuit fluid path including the refrigerant receiver, the evaporator arrangement, and the liquid separator, the closed-circuit refrigeration system configured to receive refrigerant fluid from the refrigerant receiver, and an open-circuit refrigeration system having an open-circuit fluid path that includes the receiver, the evaporator arrangement, and the liquid separator, that is configured to receive refrigerant fluid from the refrigerant receiver.

A cryogenic energy system for cooling and powering an indoor environment includes a cryogenic open loop comprising a cryogen source to supply a cryogen and at least one transfer-expansion stage in fluid connection with the cryogen source, each transfer-expansion stage comprising at least one heat exchanger for heat transfer therein from a hot fluid to the cryogen and a power unit for expansion therein of the cryogen that has been heated in the at least one heat exchanger to generate electricity, the at least one heat exchanger including an evaporator; and a heat supply open loop configured to provide the hot fluid for heat exchange with the cryogen in the at least one heat exchanger; the cryogenic energy system configured to perform heat removal from a first heat transfer loop of a conventional cooling system, the first heat transfer loop transferring heat obtained from air in the indoor environment.

A thermal management system adapted to vent a two-phase working fluid into an environment having a higher pressure than a vapor pressure of a working fluid corresponding to a set point of the system including a secondary vessel containing a secondary species. The system includes a primary vessel containing the working fluid and the secondary species, and at least one valve to selectively control venting of a mixture of the working fluid and the secondary species from the primary vessel to the environment. The system includes at least one valve connected between the primary vessel and the secondary vessel to selectively control charging of the secondary species into the primary vessel.

A thermal management system adapted to vent a two-phase working fluid into an environment having a higher pressure than a vapor pressure of a working fluid corresponding to a set point of the system including a secondary vessel containing a secondary species. The system includes a primary vessel containing the working fluid and the secondary species, and at least one valve to selectively control venting of a mixture of the working fluid and the secondary species from the primary vessel to the environment. The system includes at least one valve connected between the primary vessel and the secondary vessel to selectively control charging of the secondary species into the primary vessel.

A storage plant for storing objects at the temperature of liquid nitrogen comprises a plurality of storage tanks arranged in a cooled chamber. A nitrogen withdrawal apparatus is provided to carry off evaporated nitrogen directly from the storage tanks before it can enter the chamber. The pressure in the storage tanks is kept below the pressure in the chamber.