Thermal Control System Design Research Articles

Design and Verification of Thermal Control System of Communication Satellite

The multiple working modes, complex working conditions, frequent changes in external heat flux, and high power consumption of communication satellites all pose great difficulties to their thermal design. This paper mainly describes the design of a thermal control system for high-power communication satellites. Firstly, new efficient heat transfer technologies and thermal control materials for spacecraft are introduced. Secondly, the structure and internal heat source of the satellite are introduced. Thirdly, the external heat fluxes are analyzed, and the position of the heat dissipation surface and extreme conditions are confirmed. Then, a thermal control system is designed around the difficulties of thermal control. With heat pipes, the temperature uniformity of +Y deck, −Y deck, and +Z deck increased by 8 °C, 9.9 °C, and 34.2 °C, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum temperature of the power controller, secondary power supply, bidirectional frequency converter, and solid discharge decreased by 32.5 °C, 22.0 °C, 14.0 °C, and 164 °C, respectively. Finally, a thermal balance test is performed. The test results show that the temperatures of the solid-state power amplifier, on-board computer, power controller, secondary power supply, and bidirectional frequency converter meet the requirements of the thermal control indices. In addition, the temperature of thermal-sensitive components such as batteries and the storage tank also meets the requirements. The thermal design scheme is reasonable and feasible, and the thermal balance test verifies the correctness of the thermal design.

EHFE refinement and extension for variable physical Earth radiation in spacecraft uncertainty thermal analysis

Spacecraft uncertainty thermal analysis is an important part of ensuring robust and reliable spacecraft thermal control system design. The calculation of the Earth external heat flux is an important part of it, however, the current model for calculating the Earth external heat flux is the constant physical Earth radiation model. In this paper, a model of the Earth’s variable physical radiation is developed based on the long-term averaging method. We refine and extend the application of the external heat flux expansion (EHFE) formula to accommodate our proposed model. This study further includes an uncertainty analysis of Earth radiative external heat flux, utilizing the enhanced EHFE formula in the context of a representative spacecraft. We provide statistical data, such as mean values, standard deviation, and probability density functions, derived from our analysis. The augmented EHFE formula, when properly generalized, can be applied to compute the celestial body’s variable physical radiative external heat flux affecting the spacecraft. This methodological advancement offers theoretical underpinning for the thermal design of spacecraft intended for deep space exploration.

Optimizing Space Telescopes’ Thermal Performance through Uncertainty Analysis: Identification of Critical Parameters and Shaping Test Strategy Development

The integration of uncertainty analysis methodologies allows for improving design efficiency, particularly in the context of instruments that demand precise pointing accuracy, such as space telescopes. Focusing on the VINIS Earth observation telescope developed by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), this paper reports an uncertainty analysis on a thermal model aimed at improving cost savings in the future testing phases. The primary objective was to identify critical parameters impacting thermal performance and reduce overdesign. Employing the Statistical Error Analysis (SEA) method across several operational scenarios, the research identifies key factors, including the Earth’s infrared temperature and albedo, and the spacecraft’s attitude and environmental conditions, as the variables with major influences on the system’s thermal performance. Ultimately, the findings suggest that uncertainty-based analysis is a potent tool for guiding thermal control system design in space platforms, promoting efficiency and reliability. This methodology not only provides a framework for optimizing thermal design and testing in space missions but also ensures that instruments like the VINIS telescope maintain optimal operating temperatures in diverse space environments, thereby increasing mission robustness and enabling precise resource allocation.

Thermal control system design and analysis for a micro-nano satellite stays on target satellite

Aiming at the future satellites on-orbit service requirements, this paper researched the thermal control system for a micro-nano satellite. The micro-nano satellite can be attached on target satellite. The extreme temperature conditions of the micro-nano satellite has been determined by analyzing the complex space heat environment and power consumption, the thermal control system of micro-nano satellite has been designed, the finite element model (FEM) of the satellite is established, and the temperature fields about the extreme temperature conditions are calculated. The simulation results proves the feasibility of the thermal control system.

Optimal design of thermal control system for space optical remote sensor based on NSGA-II and opto-mechanical-thermal integration analysis

The thermal control system (TCS) is a key technology for ensuring good imaging quality of a space optical remote sensor (SORS) in orbit, and its research is of practical significance. In this paper, a multidisciplinary optimization method was proposed for the TCS of a SORS. A particle-swarm-optimized back-propagation neural network was used as the surrogate model to reduce the computational cost of the opto-mechanical-thermal integrated simulation model. Subsequently, the mean and variance of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of 12 fields of view of the SORS at the Nyquist frequency were considered as objective functions, multi-objective optimization of the design parameters of the TCS was performed using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm Ⅱ (NSGA-Ⅱ), and the Pareto front composed of a series of Pareto solutions was obtained. A compromise solution was selected as the optimal TCS design. The results showed that, upon comparison with the initial design, the optimal design scheme increased the mean of the MTFs of the SORS by 34.4%, reduced the variance by 31.3%, and significantly improved the comprehensive optical performance of the SORS.

Design of thermal control system for high-speed communication optical module

Design of thermal control system for high-speed communication optical module

Design of Active Thermal Control System for Large Space Camera in Geosynchronous Orbit

Design of Active Thermal Control System for Large Space Camera in Geosynchronous Orbit

Thermally induced structural response of a solar sail spacecraft in Earth orbit

The solar sail spacecraft for earth missions experience shadow region in Earth orbit, the resulting temperature field changes will induce the structural response on the sail films and the booms of the solar sail, thus disturb the attitude control of the spacecraft. Therefore, it is valuable to study the thermally induced structural response of solar sails caused by abrupt temperature filed. In this paper, the solar sail with square films and booms is studied. A sequential-coupled analysis method is proposed. Based on this method, the thermal analysis model of the solar sail is established, then the temperature variation law of the solar sail during orbiting the earth is obtained through simulation. Based on the structural analysis model of the solar sail, the structural response caused by temperature change is calculated, and the influence of material parameters on such response is analyzed. The results show that, the sudden change of temperature field will not only cause the shrinkage and expansion of the film, but also lead to obvious vibration on the boom. This vibration can be reduced by using thermal control coating or increasing the boom thickness. The results of this paper have important referential value for the design of thermal control system of solar sails.

Design and Analysis of the Location of Cold and Heat Sources for the Payload’s Active Thermal Control System on the Lunar Surface

The payload of the Chang’e-4 biological experiment is used as an object for designing and analyzing the location of cold and heat sources. The research compares and analyzes the energy consumption and temperature uniformity of cooling and heating sources mounted on different surfaces using Thermal Desktop/Sinda Fluint, which may be used to guide the design and operation of active thermal control systems. The results indicate that when the hot and cold sources are mounted on the payload’s top surface, the total energy consumption of the active thermal control system is minimized and temperature uniformity is improved.

ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЕ СИСТЕМЫ ТЕРМОРЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ С ДВУХФАЗНЫМ КОНТУРОМ ДЛЯ КОСМИЧЕСКОГО АППАРАТА ПРОИЗВОДИТЕЛЬНОСТЬЮ ДО 15 кВт

This paper presents a methodological approach to the design of a spacecraft thermal control system with coolant pumping with a cooling capacity of up to 15 kW. Two variants of constructions are considered. A thermal and mass-energy analysis of the thermal control system for an automatic spacecraft with active coolant pumping using the heat of the phase transition is carried out. Structurally, the thermal control system consists of a two-phase circuit and axial heat pipes. Sequential laying of a circuit for heat collection is impractical, as it leads to excessively large diameters of steam paths. It is required to consider either a scheme with parallel laying of steam mains, or a variant with a central two-phase bus and autonomous circuits for heat collection / removal. The proposed layout of the thermal control system with two-phase circuit and active pumping of the coolant with a capacity of up to 15 kW provides for the necessary area of the radiation panels. Two variants are considered: with a central heat bus and with a parallel connection of the evaporation line. The results of the analysis show a mass acceptance of the two-phase thermal control system with a central reserved bus. The reliability parameter for the first option is also higher, since it has full redundancy of the central heat bus. In the second option, it is difficult to reserve the contour. The advantage of the second option is a lower thermal resistance during heat transfer from the equipment, therefore, large estimated reserves for the temperature of the equipment seats.

Small Satellite Operational Phase Thermal Analysis and Design: A Comparative Study

This paper is about the modeling and design of the passive thermal control system for the European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO) satellite. A detailed thermal model was created in Thermal Desktop software. The model was running for the operative phase which includes cycles of 28 orbits. During these 28 orbits, there are several modes (10 modes). Each mode has a specific duration, attitude (Sun-nadir), and certain internal heat dissipation. The design of the passive thermal control system was based on controlling the conductive and radiative heat exchange between the internal components and the mounting panels, between panels themselves, and controlling external radiation exchange to achieve the desired components temperature ranges. The temperature results from simulations were presented to show the expected component temperatures and to demonstrate that the passive thermal control system met the requirements of the temperature limits. The final passive thermal control design shows that the satellite components temperatures were always maintained within their required limits during the operational phase

Design of CCD thermal control system for SuperView satellite remote sensor and its start debugging in-orbit

With the continuous improvement of the resolution of the space remote sensing camera, the temperature stability requirements of the remote charge coupled device (CCD) have gradually become more stringent. This paper presents and designs a distributed heat source precise temperature control Loop heat pipe (LHP) structure which is different from the traditional LHP structure, and realizes a unified and effective thermal management system which can accurately control the temperature of four heat sources. The results show that the LHP system has excellent heat carrying capacity and accurate temperature control effect on distributed heat source. In 2016, the LHP system was applied to the in-orbit temperature control of the remote CCD of SuperView satellite and has been run for nearly 48 months in orbit thus far. The temperature stability of the four CCD heat source devices controlled is superior to ± 0.4 °C. The design method and on orbit flight data of the distributed heat source precise temperature control LHP system in this paper will have a great reference value for the subsequent application of LHP system in the space temperature control field.

Thermal control system design and on-orbit verification of hyperspectral greenhouse gas monitor on FY-3D satellite

Thermal control system design and on-orbit verification of hyperspectral greenhouse gas monitor on FY-3D satellite

Design of Battery Pack Cooling System using a Peltier Device

This study evaluates the design of a battery pack thermal control system for an Indonesian electric motor bike. A lithium battery can explode when it reaches a high temperature, so it is necessary to keep the battery pack at no more than +40°C, even in high-temperature environmental conditions. Battery thermal management for the Gesits electric bike was investigated during battery discharge under high-temperature conditions. In this study, a battery discharge test was performed while hot soaking the battery at +40°C; the performance of a battery that was temperature-controlled with the proposed cooling system was compared against a battery without a cooling system. Using the proposed method, the cooling was carried out with a Peltier TEC1-12710 thermoelectric cooling module. From the results, we observed that the Peltier module can improve the performance of an electric vehicle by up to 6%.

Design, Simulation and Test of Thermal Control System of Centrifuge for Space Utilization

Taking centrifuge system for space utilization as the research object, an active air-cooling thermal control system is put forward. Physical models of the centrifuge thermal control system are built on the basis of simplifying assumptions under actual conditions. A numerical calculation model of centrifuge system is established by using the sliding mesh technique and flow resistance model of heat exchanger is introduced based on the porous medium theory. A numerical analysis of the dynamic heat exchange performance of the centrifuge is carried out and the results show the flow and heat exchange characteristics of each part of the system in the dynamic equilibrium state. Also, the centrifuge system and its heat exchange performance test platform are designed and built, and the monitoring probes are placed at the key position. The curves of the whole equilibrium process of key points are obtained and the test condition is consistent with numerical simulation condition. The equilibrium temperatures of the test are in agreement with that of the numerical analysis, which proves that the numerical model and calculation method are accurate. Meanwhile, the test and numerical analysis results can also improve each other to provide data and supporting techniques for in-orbit engineering utilization of manned space station in future.

Thermal Experiments for Validation of 3-AMADEUS Cubesat

There has been an increasing interest in CubeSats missions due to its small size, low cost and flexibility to accommodate different payloads. It enables CubeSats to perform a range of various missions. One of the causes of failure in a satellite in space are the temperature peaks suffered during a full orbital cycle. Therefore, proper thermal control system design and test should be performed to guarantee the reliability of a spacecraft prior to launch.The present work aims to analyze the main heat transfer processes within a satellite to validate the 3-AMADEUS CubeSat and current methodologies used by CEiiA for nano and micro satellites. Hence, with the purpose of developing thermal models with higher reliability, an experiment was devised to be performed in a controlled environment. The experimental test consists in a study of the heat exchange between two aluminum plates through radiation, using infrared lamps as heat source. Three distance configuration and two lamp types are tested. This would emulate the heat transmission between different components within the satellite. The view factors are changed. In parallel, a finite element software (MSC Nastran) is used to carry out a numerical study of the same experiments. The temperature distribution results of both numerical and experimental solutions are then compared, and the results are discussed.
 Keywords: Radiation, View factors, Experimental

Design and Developments of Thermal Control System of Electrosurgical Unit via Sensor Based on Thermometric Techniques

Electrosurgery has been regarding as one of the top forms of surgical interventions. This technology allows surgical procedures to be performed with high accuracy using high-frequency energy waves in order to cut organic tissue. Although there are a lot of benefits to this form of surgery, there are also dangers that originate due to the thermal nature of the procedure. Some of these issues relate to the thermal damge that can be caused by the ESU. Thus, in order to address this issue, this research proposes to use thermal sensors that can sense and read temperature fluctuations, and then by manipulating the ESG, to control the thermal output and ultimately prevent any thermal adamage to the tissue. An experiment is performed using chicken as the main tissue and experimenting with and without the controller. The results of the experiment indicated success, and that the proposed thermal control system can regulate the power and the temperature with the use of the thermal monitoring systems it has in place. The damage observed on the tissue has been observed to be little to none.

Passive control of the temperature homogeneity for the primary mirror surface of large ground-based solar telescopes

Mirror seeing effect and thermal deformation are two major effects brought by sunlight radiation to large ground-based solar telescopes, which compromise the imaging quality. To mitigate the effects, a thermal control system (TCS) is required for the primary mirror of large ground-based solar telescopes. Several studies, including ours, have discussed the TCS, about how to control the temperature difference between the primary mirror surface and the ambient air. But few of them refer to the temperature homogeneity control for the mirror surface. The temperature inhomogeneity across the mirror surface introduces thermal deformation of high spatial frequency, which cannot be compensated for through defocus aberration. So it is important to achieve the temperature homogeneity across the mirror surface. We propose a passive method to control the temperature homogeneity for the mirror surface. First, a model is built to estimate the temperature differences across the mirror surface under different cooling conditions. Based on the model, we make an estimation of the parameters of the TCS under given temperature homogeneity requirement for the mirror surface. The estimation should make a good reference for the TCS design of large ground-based solar telescopes. Then, based on the 60-cm prototype of open solar telescope (POST), we make a numeric analysis and experimental validation of the model and obtain a proper engineering coefficient of about 2.42 in the experiment. Finally, with the proposed model, we estimate the parameters and performance of the TCS for the 1.8 m Chinese large ground-based solar telescope (CLST). The results show that the velocity uniformity of the 297 air flows in the TCS for the CLST should be better than 4.86% when the temperature homogeneity requirement across the mirror surface is within ±0.5 ° C.

A neural-network enhanced modeling method for real-time evaluation of the temperature distribution in a data center

The thermal predicting/evaluating model of data centers is pivotal in designing their thermal control systems. The existing modeling methods are based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, which is accurate in modeling for a steady-state flow pattern but considerably time-consuming. Besides, the corresponding parameters of CFD have to be re-identified with the deviation of the flow field, which makes it extremely inefficient in real-time thermal control system design of data centers. This paper proposed a machine learning method to derive the fast-temperature evaluation model with a constructed artificial neural network. It learns the relationship between the flow patterns and model parameters based on the system thermal–physical analysis, which replaces the time-consuming CFD-based parameter identifying process. Then, the temperature evaluation is implemented under different flow patterns with the proposed neural-network enhanced modeling method. In the learning process, multi-type of neural networks, i.e., backpropagation network, radial basis function network and extreme learning machine, are considered and compared. The accuracy of the proposed model is validated by comparing with the pure CFD results as the satisfactory standard. With the efficiency and accuracy, the proposed modeling method is more suitable to design real-time controllers for data centers with changing flow fields.

Heat transfer, efficiency and turn-down ratio of a dynamic radiative heat exchanger

Efficient heat transfer is critical in the design and optimization of thermal control systems. Static radiative heat exchangers are often simple and reliable systems but typically cannot be adapted to environmental changes. Adaptable radiative heat exchangers can be adjusted in response to variations in the thermal environment or operating conditions and have the potential for increased efficiency and reduced cost. Dynamic control of a radiative heat exchanger is possible through geometric manipulation of a segmented, self-irradiating fin, consisting of rigid panels that are linked by thermal hinges in an accordion arrangement. In this paper, a numerical model is described to predict the temperature profile and efficiency of a radiative heat exchanger, accounting for conduction and self-irradiation. Governing equations are cast in terms of the conduction-radiation interaction parameter, surface emissivity, actuation angle, and the thermal conductance of the hinges linking the panels. Results indicate that a turn-down ratio (largest possible heat rate divided by smallest possible heat rate) of greater than three is possible for realistic panel geometries and materials. Self-irradiation decreases the turn-down ratio, and there is evidence that an optimal number of rigid panels exists for any combination of panel geometry and device temperature. The maximum efficiency occurs when the plates are in the collapsed position, but the heat rate is at a minimum in this configuration. Finally, the properties and geometry of the plates are shown to have a more significant effect on the turn-down ratio than the properties of the thermal hinges.