Experimental and numerical studies on the PCM thermal control device for spacecraft electronics

Abstract

Using solid-liquid phase change materials (PCM) for thermal control of periodically or intermittently operating electronic component is very efficient in terms of weight and size optimization. When the PCM is applied for thermal control it should be considered as design constraints not only shape and operating characteristics of the module but also mechanical and thermal environments around the module. Therefore, the design using PCM is typically one-time, and application of technical heritages are limited. In this study, we designed and manufactured a PCM thermal control device (PCMTD) that can stabilize the component temperature effectively by connecting heat pipe, as a thermal path, between the component and radiator and installing the PCM to the heat pipe in parallel. In such design, only amount of PCM is adjusted according to heat dissipation and operating time of the component, and the whole configuration is not changed, so that the design continuity can be maintained. The experiments to investigate the performance of the PCMTD were performed for complete melting and melting-freezing cycle cases, and it was verified that very efficient temperature control is possible. Numerical analyses were also performed and correlated with the experiments. The accuracy of the numerical analyses were verified, and as a result it can be applied to thermal design of the new programs.