Design and Fabrication of a Phase Change Material Heat Storage Device for the Thermal Control of Electronics Components of Space Applications

Iñaki Garmendia,Haritz Vallejo,Eva Anglada,Miguel Seco

doi:10.3390/aerospace9030126

Iñaki Garmendia, Haritz Vallejo + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9030126

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Journal: Aerospace	Publication Date: Feb 28, 2022
Citations: 14	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of the Basque Country, Tecnalia

Abstract

In this paper, the design and validation of a heat storage device based on phase change materials are presented, with the focus on improving the thermal control of micro-satellites. The main objective of the development is to provide a system that is able to keep electronics within safe temperature ranges during the operation of manoeuvres, while reducing mass and volume in comparison to other thermal control techniques. Due to the low thermal conductivity of phase change materials, the conductivity of the device as a whole is one of the major challenges of the development. This issue has been solved by means of the use of a lattice of aluminium fins. The thermal behaviour of the proposed solution is assessed with numerical simulation tools, and the results prove that the developed phase change material-based thermal control technique is able to provide the suitable integrated thermal management of micro-satellites. Fabrication challenges found in the project are also explained. Numerical results are validated through a testing stage. The predicted temperature profiles are in good agreement with experimental data and inside the range foreseen for the heat storage device.

Highlights

Work,a aheat heat storage device based on Phase change materials (PCM) designed, manufactured
In storage device based on PCMs waswas designed, manufactured and and tested according to realistic specifications for micro-satellites
The developed device tested according to realistic specifications for micro‐satellites

Summary

Introduction

From a thermal point of view, spacecraft and payloads must undergo extreme temperatures, heat fluxes and variations in these flows depending on the orbit type [1,2]. Thermal control refers to the set of techniques employed to maintain the temperatures of the spacecraft and its components inside the range of allowed temperatures [3,4]. This must be achieved in all possible scenarios (hot cases, cold cases, steady state or transient cases, etc.) because, otherwise, individual components can fail due to the very high or very low temperatures reached. Several Apollo missions carried components that used PCMs to stabilize their temperatures [6]. The general appreciation in the space industry for PCMs continued during the 21st century, as was shown by the call from the European Space Agency (ESA)

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