Enabling High-Power SmallSats with Advanced Thermal Management

High-power Small Satellites have the potential to provide new and advanced capabilities; however, significant challenges prevent wide-spread use. Of these, thermal management of high-heat loads is significant. Although advances in thermal acquisition, transport, and storage are available; thermal dissipation technologies for high-power systems are lacking. Several design concepts are presented focused on high-efficiency, lightweight deployable radiating technologies. Analysis showed that realistic deployable radiator designs offer 220% more thermal dissipation than body-mounted radiator designs, which directly correlates to the same amount of increase in feasible total bus power. Using deployable radiators, a nominal 6U Small Satellite can realistically dissipate around 200 W

Comparison of the Performance of the H.M. Briggs Library\u27s Cooling System with Manufacturer\u27s Rated Performance and a Common Mathematical Model

The objective of this study was to monitor and record cooling equipment performance in the H.M. Briggs Library for the 1998 cooling season. The measured data was used to calculate key performance parameters for the aforementioned cooling systems. The measured performance was then compared to manufacturer\u27s rated performance values and that of a mathematical model. The following were concluded regarding the comparison of the measured performance vs. manufacturer\u27s rated performance values and the mathematical model. Measured vs. Manufacturer\u27s Performance 1. At 85°F and 46°F leaving condenser and leaving chilled water temperatures, respectively, the Briggs Library chiller appeared to perform worse than manufacturer\u27s data. Further, the Briggs Library chiller appeared to perform slightly better than manufacturer\u27s rated performance values as the load increased. 2. At 85°F and 48°F leaving condenser and leaving chilled water, respectively, the Briggs Library chiller appeared to perform worse than manufacturer\u27s data. 3. At 87.5°F and 46°F leaving condenser and leaving chilled water, respectively, the Briggs Library chiller appeared to perform better than manufacturer\u27s performance data. Further, the measured performance appeared better than the manufacturer\u27s performance as the load increased. Measured vs. Mathematical Model 1. At 85°F and 46°F leaving condenser and leaving chilled water, respectively, the mathematical model overestimated power consumption at given loads. 2. At 85°F and 48°F leaving condenser and leaving chilled water, respectively, the Briggs Library chiller compared well with the mathematical model. Further, it appeared that the mathematical model tended to slightly underestimate power consumption at given loads. 3. At 87.5°F and 46°F leaving condenser and leaving chilled water, respectively, the Briggs Library chiller differed with the mathematical model. The computer model tended to overestimate power consumption at given loads. Effect of Leaving Condenser and Leaving Evaporator Water Temperature 1. A quadratic model is appropriate in describing the relationship of power vs. load. 2. Changing the leaving chilled water temperature given a leaving condenser water temperature did have a significant effect on power consumption. 3. Changing the leaving condenser water temperature given a leaving chilled water temperature did not have a significant effect on power consumption