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Active solar array thermal control system for the solar probe plus spacecraft
Author | Ercol, Carl; Guyette, Greg; Cho, Wei-Lin; |
Keywords | Cooling; Cooling systems; Flight control systems; Probes; Solar cell arrays; Spacecraft; Thermoelectric equipment; Waste heat; Parker Engineering |
Abstract | The Solar Probe Plus (SPP) spacecraft will orbit the Sun closer than any other previous probe. As dictated by the current mission design, the spacecraft will achieve many perihelia as close as 9.5 RS from the Sun. During those passes, it will encounter a solar flux of ~500 suns, or 70 W/cm2. This flux is more than 50 times larger than the solar heating seen by any previous spacecraft. During the entire mission, the spacecraft and science instruments will be protected by a Thermal Protection System (TPS), and electrical power is produced by using somewhat conventional photovoltaic technology. Because of the high solar load, an active cooling system is required to remove the waste heat from the solar cell and transport it to a remote radiator system for rejection to deep space. As part of the SPP Phase A study, a specific effort focused on the manufacturing and testing of a breadboard cooling system to address the basic feasibility and operation of the system. This paper will describe the performance results of the breadboard cooling system and the path needed to bring that system to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 on the schedule needed for the flight project. © 2012 by Hamilton Sundstrand. |
Year of Publication | 2012 |
Journal | 42nd International Conference on Environmental Systems 2012, ICES 2012 |
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Number of Pages | American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) - |
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