Design of a thermal energy storage panel for reducing the temperature fluctuations in a CubeSat or a NanoSat using a passive thermal cooling system.
2022-26-1172
05/26/2022
- Event
- Content
- The application of CubeSat or a NanoSat for low-orbit data collection has expanded because of their economical cost for development and lightweight structures. Thermal analysis is one of the vital components during the design and configuration procedure of CubeSat or a NanoSat as the thermal loads in orbit can undoubtedly harm the functions of components in the system and therefore the whole framework can be affected. When the satellite travels from the dark side of the planet to the one facing the sun there is a major change in fluctuations of temperature. Due to heat absorption, transfer and emission on one side, the satellite surface presents an asymmetric temperature distribution and causes a change in momentum which can manifest in spinning and non-spinning satellites in different manners which can cause orbital decays in satellites. The purpose of a thermal management system is to maintain the temperatures within each system to their operating range and to minimize the temperature fluctuations to allow uninterrupted satellite operations. To improve the thermal controllability for CubeSat or a NanoSat we require a thermal control device that is smaller, simpler, easy to integrate and that needs no electrical power. A new thermal control device, named Thermal Energy Storage Panel with Phase Change Material encapsulated in it is a good solution for maintaining the thermal condition required. CAD models were created using SolidWorks for the design and analysis of the panels were carried out based on temperature and energy storage requirements. A detailed thermal system framework is then analyzed using ANSYS FLUENT for foreseeing the response of the panels installed in a 1U CubeSat while orbiting the Earth.
- Citation
- Mishra, P., Mankar, S., and Subudhi, S., "Design of a thermal energy storage panel for reducing the temperature fluctuations in a CubeSat or a NanoSat using a passive thermal cooling system.," SAE Technical Paper 2022-26-1172, 2022, .