Description
Objective: The objective is to design, manufacture and test a 3D thermal interface for high power units using Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) to decrease the operational temperature of High power units, Power Conditioning and Distribution Units, Plasmic Propulsion Units, or Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers.
Targeted Improvements: Decrease the temperature of the unit and increase the reliability.
Description: The standard method of mounting equipment to a Heat Pipe network is to mount on to a flat 2D interface. The equipment provider designs the electronic box so that the heat is conducted to the base plate. An on-going ALM activity aims to widen the Heat pipe area in order to increase the contact surface, hence increasing the amount of power dumped into the heat pipes. In addition, increases to the thermal conductivity of electronic boxes, using heat pipes or loop heat pipes to transport the power to the base plate, can be realised. All of these applications are however restricted to the 2D base plate surface area. By increasing the contact surface area, using a 3D concept, this would allow to increase the amount of power injected into the heatpipe without increasing the temperature of the equipment.The proposed activity may use ALM to create a 3D interface by increasing the horizontal thermal contact area, and by adding a third dimension in height, which could interface directly with the side walls of an electronic unit. The internal capillary structure would be such that it could also work in a 1g environment. In a horizontal configuration, the third dimension of thetwo-phase structure will be able to transport the full power of the unit without compromising on-ground testing at spacecraft level. In essence, this would look like a cradle for an electronic unit, which would be directly connected to standardaxial groove heat pipes network.Follow-on activities could see an embedded two-phase structure inside an electronic box, which could be directly connected to heat pipe network. By removing the thermal interfaces, this would allow to decrease the thermal gradientbetween electronic components on a PCB to the radiator.The proposed work logic is the following:ï· Technical trade-off to establish performance requirementsï· Design and build a breadboardï· Testing of the breadboard
Tender Specifics