Passive thermal control design and analysis of a university-class satellite

Abstract

This paper describes the passive thermal control analysis and design for a small satellite in low Earth orbit. The main objective of the thermal control system is to guarantee the proper operation against the harsh environment in space. The European Student Earth Orbiter satellite was chosen to carry out this study. The paper introduces an alternative means for the thermal control system to be passive by using tapes, coatings, radiators, and multi-layer insulation applied to the satellite to control radiation heat exchange between the satellite and its environment. For this purpose, a finite-difference model was developed using a commercial software package. Results obtained from the simulations were introduced, analyzed, and partially verified for both extreme hot and cold cases. The results show that all the components inside the satellite, structural, and solar panels were within their temperature limits. The most critical components in the hot case are the battery and gyro box with temperature safety margins of 1.83 °C and 2.47 ℃, respectively. The most critical components in the cold case are reaction wheel 2 and uCAM with temperature safety margins of 4.62 ℃ and 4.73 ℃, respectively. The battery on panel 6 has a temperature safety margin of 6.64 ℃.