Passive Thermal Design of a Thermal Infrared Telescope

The Deployable Space Telescope (DST) project aims to reduce the stowed volume compared to other Earth observation satellites with a similar resolution. The DST demonstrator functions in the thermal infrared (TIR) domain, which imposes stringent thermal requirements on the detector. The detector must be cooled to 150 K, and the instrument box to...

Architecture study for in-orbit long term cryogenic storage

The space community is currently focusing on defining system architectures able to perform multiple interplanetary missions to support deep space exploration. In particular, placing orbital propellant depots in strategic locations in space would allow to increase the useful payload mass at launch. Despite all the efforts that are being invested...

Heat Storage and Management with Phase Change Material in CubeSats: Determining the feasibility and predictability of Phase Change Material as a passive Thermal Storage Device in CubeSats

As the CubeSats have been getting more energy dense over the years, a greater need has come for thermal control on CubeSats. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are researched in this thesis as an energy dense passive Thermal Storage Device (TSD). This energy density comes from the melting of the PCM. To determine the feasibility of this TSD. The...

Design of a Deployable Baffle for the Deployable Space Telescope

The purpose of the thesis was to design a deployable thermal shielding baffle for the Deployable Space Telescope to reduce thermal gradients on the optical elements. As a result of a trade-off, the deployment was chosen to be based on an inflatable structure. The baffle consists of aluminium-kapton booms that form a cylindrical shape, and are...

Thermal Modelling & Analysis of the Deployable Space Telescope

The Deployable Space Telescope (DST) project aims at producing a competitive telescope by using segmented deployable light weighted optics which reduces launch volume and mass, and thus launch costs. Due to the criticality of heat management to the performance of the telescope, a thermal model had to be built in order to determine the expected...

Numerical Simulation of a Two-Phase Thermal Control System

Two-phase thermal control systems are used for payloads that require temperature stability under high and fluctuating heat output. However, the complex interaction between the two phases in a flow makes it hard to predict the performance of such a system. The goal was to develop a numerical model able to predict the transient behaviour of such a...

Design of actively controlled heat exchangers using topology optimization

An active fluid heat exchanger can be controlled effectively using Peltier elements to condition the temperature of the fluid flowing through the heat exchanger. The thermal resistance of the heat exchanger can be reduced to increase the speed of controlling the fluid's temperature. Topology optimization is used in this study to find the...

Thermal Alterations in Premature Neonates

Introduction: Preterm neonates suffer frequent thermal alterations that result in increased morbidity and mortality rates. Thermal support is used to provide stability until thermal maturation is reached. The first manifestation of thermal control is peripheral vasoconstriction, estimated as the difference between central and peripheral...

The Water Wall: a bio-inspired thermoregulative facade system

Modern office buildings commonly have fully glazed façades in order to reflect a luxurious appearance while maximizing the daylight penetration to the interior space. Though glass façades provide plentiful natural light, the amount of energy needed to maintain indoor thermal comfort poses a great challenge to the designers with the cost of what...

Thermal characterization of a gas-gap heat switch for satellite thermal control

A heat switch is a variable thermal conductance device that can act as a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator. A gas-gap heat switch, which is currently in its third design iteration, has been developed by University of Twente in collaboration with the European Space Agency. This device is filled with a gas, whose thermal conductivity varies...

Passive louver mechanism for small satellites

A miniaturisation trend in the satellite technology is clearly observable. The new generation of small satellites experiences very large thermal fluctuations, due to their high performance payload and low mass. Contemporary thermal control systems, applicable to small satellites, are mostly characterised by having either an insulative or a...

Performance Characterization of Water Heat Pipes and their Application in CubeSats

The CubeSat platform has long since its introduction surpassed its original intend of being an educational and technology demonstration platform only. The recognition and acknowledgement of its potential has led to an everlasting hunger for more performance, which translates directly into a demand for more power. The power density of CubeSats is...

Thermal modelling and design of the DelFFi satellites

The DelFFi mission’s satellites employ a variety of subsystems, whose temperature ranges need be controlled. Thermal design for DelFFi is challenging because of its body mounted solar cells and high heat dissipation internal components, such as the thruster and inter-satellite link device. The goal of this thesis was summarized in the research...