Phase Change Material Heat Storage Device for Launchers and Orbiting Systems

摘要

ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) aims at fostering newtechnologies capable of delivering high performance and reliability coupled with reducedoperational costs for the future launch systems. Among different technologies activities,Phase Change Material (PCM) capacitors are being developed, manufactured and tested.PCM are materials selected for their high latent heat, which the phase transition (meltingand solidifying) at the relevant temperature range is able to absorb and release a largeamount of energy. They are usually stored in hermetically sealed container which isthermally coupled to the dissipative unit.Although already existing for a long time and used on several Space missions, PCMcapacitors are still regarded as a potential and efficient thermal control solution, not only tocope with classic short launch missions but also longer launch missions (including severalengine re-ignitions, deorbitation), including significant variations of internal heat dissipatedby components but also of external fluxes. To some extent, such long duration scenarios canbe assimilated to orbiting spacecraft missions, for which thermal control PCM can be anasset.Thus, both types of scenario are envisaged: a short dissipative simple profile and acycling dissipative profile coupled to a cold radiative heat sink. After the trade-off betweenPCM capacitor solution and the standard solutions, involving the increase of thermal inertiaand/or the combination of radiative opening to external environment and compensationheating power, the detailed design phase has tackled the different difficulties such as thechoice of the materials, thermal couplings, the adaptability of the container or the sealing.Many intermediate characterisation tests and mock up trials have been performed toconsolidate and orient the final design. Two prototypes have been manufactured and testedin both vibration and thermal environment to correlate and confirm the expectedperformances and reach the level of maturity TRL6.