Aug 4

Spirax Sarco

Posted on Thursday, August 4, 2011 in hydraulics

Spirax Sarco

Thermal Engineering in Space

Today, many companies in aerospace and communications fields are engineering equipment to stop technology from malfunctioning due to extreme heat. Cutting edge devices designed for orbit, for instance, are often faced with the serious problem of thermal control. A piece of technology launched into space faces intensely hot temperatures. While in space, satellites and aerospace pieces need thermal management structures in order to function properly.

Why Do Satellites Need to be Cooled?

Typically, when a person thinks of space, vast expanses between stars and intensely cold temperatures often come to mind. This may cause people to wonder why earth orbiting satellites need thermal engineering to keep their parts from becoming hot. The answer is rather basic: the sun. A satellite is exposed to the sun for a large amount of the time it orbits the Earth. This proximity to the sun means a satellite requires methods to actively cool the heat conductive pieces of which it is made.

One reason a satellite is made from metal is because metal has a low conductivity. Conduction is the flow of heat through something when atoms rapidly vibrate against each other. Atoms exposed to heat become “excited” and move at an accelerated rate. Vibrations cause whatever is made from these atoms to become hot. Metals need more “excited” atoms than most to heat up, but once that takes place, it is likewise extremely difficult to cool. Satellites need thermal management systems to prevent destruction caused by heat.

How Are Satellites Cooled?

Telecommunication companies, aerospace firms, and military groups all launch satellites. And they all need thermal engineering services to design custom cooling systems for their products. While satellite thermal control and heat transfer technology is an evolving industry, there are a few standard pieces found within many heat conductivity systems. Heat pipes, loop heat pipes, and variable conductance heat pipes (VCHPs) are all staples in thermal management systems.

Heat pipes transfer heat more effectively and safely than many structures and are relatively simple. A heat pipe contains a liquid such as water, acetone, nitrogen, methanol, ammonia, or sodium. The pipe warms, and the liquid absorbs heat. The liquid then changes states and evaporates into a gas. The gas travels through the pipe to a cooling medium which draws heat from the gas and condenses it into liquid once more. Liquid inside the pipe is ready to absorb heat once more.

Extremely sensitive equipment is launched into space all the time. According to the United States Space Surveillance Network, there are approximately 3,000 satellites orbiting the Earth. These satellites are vital to many aspects of our lives. Meteorology, cell phones, guidance and military defense systems all rely on satellite technology. Proper thermal engineering is necessary to keep these birds in flight.

Works Cited

“Axially Grooved Heat Pipes — Simple and Reliable .” Thermal Management Solutions. Thermacore, n.d. Web. 28 Jul 2010. <http://www.thermacore.com/products/axially-grooved-ammonia-heat-pipe.aspx>.

“Heat Pipe Technology: Passive Heat Transfer for Greater Efficiency.” Thermal Management Solutions. Thermacore, n.d. Web. 28 Jul 2010. <http://www.thermacore.com/thermal-basics/heat-pipe-technology.aspx>.

“Heat Transfer.” International site for Spirax Sarco. Spirax-Sarco Limited, 2010. Web. 27 Jul 2010. <http://www.spiraxsarco.com/resources/steam-engineering-tutorials/steam-engineering-principles-and-heat-transfer/heat-transfer.asp#top>.

“Thermal Management for Aircraft, Spacecraft and Satellites.” Thermal Management Solutions. Thermacore, n.d. Web. 28 Jul 2010. <http://www.thermacore.com/industries/aerospace-avionics.aspx>.

About the Author

<a href=”https://www.1-act.com”>Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT)</a> is a premier thermal management solutions company. Under our ISO9001 and AS9100 certifications, we design and manufacture products for diverse applications including satellite <a href=”http://www.1-act.com/advanced-technologies/thermal-storage.php”>thermal control</a>, commercial/military electronics cooling and temperature calibration.

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