Increasing the Power Density of Satellites

Subject:

This thesis is aimed at improving the ability of spacecraft or their instruments to deal with waste heat. 

This will require understanding a number of novel thermal design ideas and then developing and proving their viability. Initially, thermal management of very small satellites was something which essentially happened by accident and no specific or active measures were needed to maintain acceptable internal environments for these spacecraft. The possibility of doing really useful missions with very small spacecraft is continually growing.  As the required power density of these satellites increases, simultaneously with a reduction in their physical size, the need for novel ways of thermal management in satellites of all sizes and for all purposes is becoming increasingly important. Similarly, at the €œbig end of town€, larger spacecraft require new and improved thermal management techniques in order to enable higher power payloads to be operated, while the need for ever more sensitive detectors makes it important to understand and improve thermal design at cryogenic temperatures.

This thesis will investigate a variety of ideas for improving the thermal control of spacecraft for increasingly ambitious missions. 

The investigation will be both analytical and experimental, culminating in their demonstration in a simulated space environment.

Dr Sean Tuttle S.Tuttle@adfa.edu.au