NEXT GENERATION THERMAL CYCLING CHAMBER

摘要

Systems-level thermal testing of satellite communication hardware is traditionally performedunder thermal vacuum conditions. It is becoming increasingly accepted to perform assemblylevel testing of large antennas using ambient pressure chambers to minimize cost and schedule.This paper describes the design, construction, and use of a very large 4m × 4m × 4m(13’×13’×13’) thermal cycling chamber (at atmospheric pressure) in Montréal, Canada. Thisfacility was constructed and commissioned over a period of one year,. The final performance isa temperature range of –180°C to +150°C (–292℉ to +300℉). Tests performed with this facilitywill save considerable time and money while maintaining qualification of flight hardware. Alsoincluded is a short description of a new software, capable of predicting thermal chamberparameters, such as heating or cooling capability and required purging time to avoidcondensation.