Effects of the thermal blanket on AMS-02

Abstract

This study evaluates effects of the thermal blanket on various components of AMS-02 using telemetry data from before and after installation. In principle, the thermal blanket stabilizes the temperature of the covered components. When the external heat flux increases, the thermal blanket restrains the increase in the component temperature. In contrast, when the external heat flux decreases, the thermal blanket reduces the heat dissipation. The thermal blanket effectively solves low-temperature warnings of BOX-C, a vital component of the gas circulation system in the Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) located on the port-wake side of AMS-02. However, the effect on inner components, which are not covered by the thermal blanket, is less significant. In the meantime, the thermal blanket prevents heat dissipation from the interior of AMS-02 to the outer space, which can cause high-temperature warnings at internal components such as the Power Distribution System (PDS) and the photomultiplier tubes in the Time of Flight (TOF).