RU2346861C2 - Spacecraft temperature control system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation; heating.

SUBSTANCE: proposed temperature control system has two independent, onboard circulation channels with a heat carrier, with the same composition. The channels are arranged next to each other in honeycomb panels and each of them has inlet and outlet fluid connectors. The temperature control system also has a plug-in unit, whose outlet and inlet fluid connectors are connected to the inlet and outlet fluid connectors of one of the above mentioned channels. The plug-in unit has extra inlet and outlet fluid connectors with which it is connected to the outlet and inlet fluid connector of another circulation channel. These extra fluid connectors in turn are connected through switches to lines of the plug-in unit, leading to the given inlet and outlet fluid connectors of this unit. Switches are used in the given lines. Output parts of the outlet and extra outlet fluid connectors of the unit are ringed through one more switch to parts of the inlet and extra inlet fluid connectors of the unit, respectively.

EFFECT: simplification of the whole structure of the temperature control system due to use of the corresponding plug-in unit.

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Description

The invention relates to space technology, in particular to systems for ensuring the thermal regime of telecommunication satellites, and was created by the authors in the order of performance of a job.

Thermoregulation systems (STR) of spacecraft (SC) are known according to the patents of the Russian Federation No. 2151722, No. 2209750, which contain the airborne part of the STR (functioning both during ground tests and when working in orbit) and connected to the airborne part through the hydraulic connectors ground (removable) ) part of the STR (i.e., the removable equipment block of the STR, used in the STR only for ground tests, including when testing the spacecraft in a pressure chamber, has a rather complicated design and consists of: heat exchangers connected during ground tests contact with the ground-based thermal management system; valves; compensation devices; system for measuring parameters: flow rate and pressure of the coolant; bypass valve; hydraulic sockets and connecting pipelines).

Currently, in order to ensure the highly reliable functioning of the spacecraft newly developed by our enterprise with a long (15 or more years) service life, its STR is made of two independent and identical in composition two heat-transfer paths parallel to the cell panels. For such a spacecraft during its ground tests, incl. during thermal vacuum tests carried out in a pressure chamber, according to well-known technical solutions, two rather complex (and expensive) blocks of removable equipment of the STR, which, in turn, must be connected to two independent, must be connected to the airborne part of the STR, containing two independent paths of the coolant thermal management systems; in addition, due to the use of two blocks, it is necessary to provide, in particular, an additional pressure-tight sealing system to the pressure chamber, complicating its design; Also, the procedure for conducting ground tests is becoming more complicated - and all this leads to significant additional material and labor costs.

An analysis of the sources of information on patent and scientific and technical literature showed that the closest in technical essence to the prototype of the proposed technical solution is the spacecraft temperature control system according to the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2209750.

The well-known STR KA (see figure 3), made of two modules: the payload module (MPN) 7 and the service system module (MSS) 8, include: on-board circulation path of the coolant 1, built into the honeycomb panels 4, 5, 6; output and input hydraulic sockets of the on-board part STR 1.2 and 1.1; a removable unit 3, connected by its input and output hydraulic connectors 3.1 and 3.2 to the output and input hydraulic connectors of the on-board part STR 1.2 and 1.1.

As shown above, the significant drawbacks of the known technical solution are as follows: if it is carried out on a STR satellite containing two independent parallel coolant paths, then the ground removable part of the STR will become much more complicated (two removable blocks will be required), which in turn leads to an additional complication of the rest of the ground equipment used in ground tests (additional ground-based thermal management system will be required; further development of the pressure chamber is necessary) and the complexity of the procedure conducting tests - all this will require considerable additional material and labor costs.

The purpose of the proposed technical solution is the elimination of the above significant disadvantages.

This goal is achieved by performing the PTP in such a way that the output and input hydraulic connectors of the other circulation path are connected to the newly introduced additional input and output hydraulic connectors of the block, connected, in turn, through switches with lines going to the input and output connectors of the block through the newly introduced switches, while the input sections of the output and additional output hydraulic connectors of the block are looped through the switches, respectively, with the sections of the input and additional input about gidrorazemov unit, which is, according to the authors, an important characteristic of the proposed technical solution the authors.

As a result of the analysis conducted by the authors of the well-known patent and scientific and technical literature, the proposed combination of significant distinguishing features of the claimed technical solution in the known sources of information was not found and, therefore, the known technical solutions do not exhibit the same properties as in the claimed thermal control system.

The proposed STR satellite, made of two modules: MPN 7 and MSS 8 (see figure 1, which shows the schematic diagram of the STR in operating conditions in orbit, and figure 2, which shows the schematic diagram of the STR during the tests of the spacecraft in ground conditions) includes in itself:

1) the onboard circulation path of the coolant 1, built into the honeycomb panels 4, 5, 6; output and input hydraulic sockets of the on-board part STR 1.2 and 1.1; a removable unit 3, connected by its output and input hydraulic connectors 3.2 and 3.1 to the input and output hydraulic connectors of the on-board part of CTP 1.1 and 1.2;

2) the output and input hydraulic connectors 2.1 and 2.2 of the other circulation path 2, also built into the honeycomb panels 4, 5, 6 next to the path 1, are connected to additional input and output hydraulic connectors 3.3 and 3.4 of the unit, connected, in turn, through switches 3.8 and 3.9 (for example, solenoid valves) with lines leading to the input and output connectors 3.1 and 3.2 of the unit through the newly introduced switches 3.5 and 3.6, while the input sections of the output and additional output hydraulic connectors 3.2 and 3.4 of the unit are looped through the switches 3.7 and 3.10 respectively continuously from portions of the input and complementary input gidrorazemov 3.1 and 3.3 unit, respectively;

3) it should be noted that, as shown by the analysis, this technical solution can be used both in the STR with a liquid coolant and with a two-phase coolant.

The operation of the STR during ground tests of the spacecraft, in particular during thermal vacuum tests in a pressure chamber, is as follows. The spacecraft is installed in a thermal chamber, where the space environment surrounding the spacecraft is simulated.

The STR has a configuration designed for ground tests: a removable block of STRs is connected to the onboard part of the STR (paths are filled with coolant).

Open the switches 3.5, 3.6, 3.10 and close the switches 3.7, 3.8, 3.9. Turn on the path 1 STR (path 2 STR does not work, i.e. the coolant is not circulated through its path). Turn on the spacecraft instruments.

The excess heat generated during the operation of the devices is removed by the circulating coolant of the path 1 and is transmitted in a removable unit 3 to the ground-based thermal management system.

Control the temperature of the devices - they must be in the operating ranges.

This confirms the performance of the STR when working only path 1.

Then, the above tests are repeated during the operation of tract 2 with an idle path 1 and during operation of both paths 1 and 2 at the same time and confirm the operability during operation of only path 2 and the simultaneous operation of both paths.

As can be seen from the foregoing, as a result of the implementation of the STR by the spacecraft according to the technical solution proposed by the authors, a simplification of the construction of the STR and ground test facilities is provided, which increases the economic efficiency when creating the spacecraft, i.e. thereby achieving the objectives of the invention.

Currently, the technical solution proposed by the authors is reflected in the technical documentation for the newly developed telecommunications satellite.

Claims (1)

The spacecraft’s thermal control system, which contains two independent, identical in composition and placed next to each other in the honeycomb panels of the onboard circulation paths with a coolant having each input and output hydraulic connectors, as well as a removable system unit connected to its input and output hydraulic connectors by an input and output hydraulic sockets of one of these circulation paths, characterized in that the removable unit is provided with additional input and output hydraulic sockets with which s the output and input hydraulic connectors of another circulation path, and these additional hydraulic connectors, in turn, are connected through switches to the lines of the removable block leading to the specified input and output hydraulic connectors of this block through the switches introduced into these lines, while the input sections of the output and additional output hydraulic connectors of the block looped through another switch, respectively, with sections of the input and additional input hydraulic connectors of the unit.

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