A multifunctional structure, placing plastic lithium-ion cells within the primary structure of a spacecraft, has been presented. This concept for an MFS employs commercially available cells, which avoids the costs associated with manufacturing purpose-built multifunctional materials, whilst taking advantage of the benefits an MFS can provide: Mass and volume reduction at the system level. Such cells have demonstrated their suitability to this role, and initial work into the structural attributes of a multifunctional panel of this type has shown promising results. A model of a sample module was used to assess the thermal situation of multifunctional power structures. It was found that in sunlight, the heat of the Earth created a lower altitude limit, below which the module was too hot. In eclipse, the lack of a strong heat input gives equilibrium temperatures far below the lower limit of 0 deg C. The transient response in all environments was for the module to reach the limiting temperature faster than the time spent in the environment. With the requirement for a thermal control system clarified, the feasibility of using a phase change material to alter the transient response is assessed. It was found that phase change materials offer significant improvements to the transient response for low quantities, ensuring the mass benefits of the multifunctional structure are preserved.
Multifunctional power structures and related thermal issues
Multifunktionale Energiestruktur unter Berücksichtigung thermischer Aspekte
2009
10 Seiten, 13 Bilder, 5 Tabellen, 24 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
AIAA | 2001
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