The design of a thermal system is studied using temperature sensitivities. The thermal system is subjected to nonlinear temperature constraints, which are in the form of inequalities. Temperature sensitivities and the derivatives of the temperature constraints with respect to different design parameters are calculated by different methods, and their relative computational efforts are discussed. The thermal system pertaining to a shunt regulator in a spacecraft is considered. For thermal sensitivity analysis, design parameters such as internal heat dissipation, optical properties of an optical solar reflector, emittance of black paint, and emittance of low-emittance tape are considered. The numerical results indicate that the absorptance of the optical solar reflector is the most important parameter in the thermal control of a shunt regulator. An appropriate thermal shield and an increase in the black painted area are suggested as suitable design strategies to control the temperature of the shunt regulator.
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