RU2585936C1 - Thermal control system for spacecraft equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: heating.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to thermal control board research and service equipment of spacecraft: artificial satellites, interplanetary stations, etc. System includes at least two temperature-controlled panels (TCP) with built-in heat pipes and at least two radiators. Each TCP is connected to one of radiators by means of controlled loop heat pipes (LHP). Evaporators of said LHP are installed on TCP, and condensers are built into radiators. There is a backup radiator connected to TCP by additional controlled LHP. Evaporators and condensers of said LHP are similarly connected to TCP and backup radiator. Steam pipes of additional LHP are fitted with valves to close or open said steam pipes.

EFFECT: technical result is improvement of reliability of thermal control system, reduced weight and dimensions.

4 cl, 5 dwg

Description

The invention relates to space technology and can be used in systems of thermoregulation of spacecraft (SC) to ensure the thermal regime of scientific and office equipment installed on artificial satellites, interplanetary stations and other space objects.

Known temperature control systems (CTP) of spacecraft (SC), in which the thermal mode of the devices is provided by installing these devices on a thermostatic panel (TSP) with heat pipes integrated into its structure. The excess heat generated by the devices is removed using an adjustable contour heat pipe (CTT), the evaporator of which is installed on a thermostatically controlled panel, and the condenser is built into the radiation heat exchanger (PTO or radiator-cooler, hereinafter referred to as the radiator). The heat generated by the devices is collected using heat pipes in the installation area of the KTT evaporator. The two-phase coolant circulating inside the CTT transfers heat from the evaporator to the condenser and, accordingly, to the radiator that radiates heat to open space (RF patent 130299, priority date 02.11.2012).

Possessing variable thermal conductivity, adjustable CTTs allow the STR to provide high accuracy in maintaining the temperature of the instrument seats. At the same time, the temperature control of the КТТ can be carried out by various means, for example, by using (as part of the КТТ) three-way valve, which allows directing the circulating heat carrier either through the condenser or bypassing it, by the bypass line connecting the input and output of the evaporator (CC Birur, M.T. Pauken, KS Novak, Thermal Control of Mars Rovers and Landers Using Mini Loop Heat Pipes. Proceedings of 12 IHPC, Moscow-Kostroma-Moscow, Russia, 2002, pp. 189-194). It is also possible to regulate using a heater that has a thermal effect on the compensation cavity (patent RU 2062970, priority 1996), or using a thermoelectric cooler (TEMX) with thermal contact, simultaneously with the evaporator and with the compensation cavity KTT (patent SU 1834470, priority from 1995), or through other elements introduced into the design of the CTT.

The use of an adjustable CTT allows not only to significantly improve the accuracy of maintaining the temperature in the STR, but also to minimize the electric power necessary to maintain the set panel temperature in cold conditions (i.e. when there is no need to remove heat from the panel). However, the presence of a serial element in the form of CTT in the heat transfer path between the TSP and the PTO simultaneously reduces the reliability of the system, since when the CTT fails, overheating in the “hot mode” of devices installed on the platform is inevitable. This is a significant drawback, requires the reservation of heat transfer units (in this case, CTT) and, therefore, increases the mass of the STR and the spacecraft.

The closest analogue to the claimed regulatory system, selected as a prototype, is developed in the NGO named after S.A. Lavochkina STR KA “Electro”, which currently operates in the satellite orbit (VV Altov, V.M. Gulya, R.M. Kopyatkevich and others. Thermal design and fragmented ground testing of STR KA leaky performance on the basis of honeycomb panels with heat pipes. Cosmonautics and rocket science No. 3 (60), TsNIIMASH, Korolev, 2010, p. 33-41). This system includes several autonomous thermostatic panels (TSPs) made on the basis of honeycomb panels, including payload TSPs, precision instrumentation TSPs and a battery battery TSP. The heat power generated by the equipment installed on each heating unit is diverted from the seats of the equipment blocks by axial heat pipes to the collector heat pipe and then by contour heat pipes to the working surface of the radiator-coolers, from where it is radiated into the surrounding space. The means of ensuring the thermal regime of each TSP are actually autonomous subsystems that provide their tasks, first of all, maintaining their own temperature level at the TSP.

As in the analogue described above, in order to ensure the given reliability of systems of the STR type of KA Electro, it is necessary to provide for the reservation (duplication) of RTOs within each subsystem, which will require the use of additional CTTs of additional RTOs and a corresponding increase in the mass of the spacecraft. Reserving the RTOs themselves will require, in addition to increasing the mass, the use of scarce space around the spacecraft, complicating its layout. Moreover, these problems are multiplied in proportion to the number of subsystems.

The technical problem solved by the invention is to increase the reliability of the STR of the spacecraft equipment while reducing the mass of the STR and expanding the layout capabilities of the spacecraft as a whole.

This task is ensured by the fact that, in contrast to the well-known thermal management system of spacecraft equipment, which contains at least two thermostatically controlled panels with integrated heat pipes and at least two radiator-coolers, each of the panels is connected to a separate radiator by means of adjustable contour heat pipes, the evaporators of which are installed on the panels, and the condensers are built into the radiators, the new thing is that the system is equipped with a redundant radiator-cooler connected by additional regulators lining contour heat pipes with at least two thermostatically controlled panels, while the evaporators of the additional adjustable contour heat pipes are installed on the panels, and the condensers of the additional adjustable contour heat pipes are built into the backup radiator, and controlled isolating valves are installed in the steam pipelines of the additional contour heat pipes, providing overlap or the opening of steam pipelines when submitting control commands.

In addition, a controlled insulating valve is installed in the condensate line of each additional heat pipe, the inlet and outlet of which are connected by a bypass pipe containing a safety valve to relieve pressure in the condenser if it exceeds the pressure in the evaporator.

In addition, in the steam pipelines of additional adjustable contour heat pipes between the evaporator and the controlled insulating valve, a three-way valve with a bypass line is installed.

In addition, the area of the additional radiator is chosen equal to the area of the largest of the radiators connected to the thermostatically controlled panels.

Supply the system with a backup radiator connected via additional adjustable contour heat pipes to at least two thermostatically controlled panels, while evaporators of additional adjustable contour heat pipes are installed on the panels, and condensers of additional adjustable contour heat pipes are built into the backup radiator, and in the steam pipelines of additional contour heat pipes Pipes are installed controlled isolating valves, providing the overlap or opening of steam pipelines when applying pack ulation commands eliminates the replication of backup PTO proportional to the number of TSP. This makes it possible to increase the reliability of the STR satellite while reducing the mass of the STR and the total mass of the spacecraft. In addition, the capabilities of the spacecraft layout are significantly expanded, since the shading zones of the field of view of the instruments are reduced and space for mounted external elements is freed up.

Additionally, with the help of the specified backup RTO, it is possible to “unload” the hottest TSPs, because at each moment of time (before the emergency), the backup RTO can be connected to any of the MTS. Thus, the maximum temperature of the HW, to which the backup RTO is connected by default, can be reduced for the entire period of operation until an emergency occurs in any other of the subsystems.

The backup RTO can also be used as a regular one, if the TSW operation cyclograms have a “time-shifted maximum”. Due to this, instead of redundancy (if this is not necessary or impossible), the total area of the RTO used in the STR will be reduced. In the “hot moments”, the backup RTO will be connected to the corresponding TSPs not as a backup, but as a RTO to relieve “peak loads”.

The installation of each additional contour heat pipe of a controllable insulating valve in the condensate piping allows for the overlap or opening of the steam pipelines when control commands are issued, and the connection with the bypass pipe containing the safety valve of the insulator valve inlet and outlet provides pressure relief in the condenser if it exceeds the pressure in evaporator, which increases the reliability of the STR.

The presence in the steam pipelines of additional adjustable contour heat pipes of a three-way valve with a bypass line, located between the evaporator and the controlled isolating valve, provides for controlling the temperature of the CTT by connecting or disconnecting the PTO by changing the direction of the coolant circulation: either through the condenser or bypassing it, bypass line connecting the input and output of the evaporator.

The choice of the area of the additional radiator equal to the area of the largest of the radiators connected to the thermostatically controlled panels guarantees the possibility of replacing any standard radiator without reducing the quality of thermal control.

The invention is illustrated by drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a temperature control system based on two TSPs with two standard and one backup radiator;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a temperature control system with shut-off valves installed in the CTT steam pipelines;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a temperature control system with shut-off valves installed in the steam and condensate pipelines of the CTT;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the installation of shut-off and safety valves in the condensate line of an additional CTT integrated in a backup RTO;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a backup radiation heat exchanger.

The proposed spacecraft temperature control system contains at least two thermostatically controlled panels 1, 2 with integrated heat pipes 3, 4 and at least two radiators 5, 6. Each of the panels 1, 2 is connected to a separate radiator 5, 6 by means of adjustable contour heat pipes 7, 8 , evaporators 9, 10 of which are installed on panels 1, 2, and condensers 11, 12 are built into the radiators 5, 6. The system is equipped with a backup radiator 13 connected via additional adjustable contour heat pipes 14, 15 with at least two thermostatically controlled panels 1, 2, p and that the evaporators 16, 17 additional adjustable loop heat pipes installed on the panels 1, 2, and capacitors 18, 19 additional adjustable loop heat pipes 14, 15 are built into the radiator 13 and the reserve hydraulically independent. In the steam pipelines 20, 21 of the additional contour heat pipes 14, 15, controlled insulating valves 22, 23 are installed, which provide for the overlap or opening of the steam pipelines 20, 21 when control commands are issued.

A controlled insulating valve 26, 27 is installed in the condensate line 24, 25 of each additional heat pipe, the inlet and outlet of which are connected by a bypass pipe 28 containing a safety valve 29 to relieve pressure in the condenser if it exceeds the pressure in the evaporator. In addition, in the steam lines 20, 21 of additional adjustable contour heat pipes 14, 15 between the evaporator 16, 17 and the controlled isolation valve 22, 23, a three-way valve 30, 31 with a bypass line 32, 33 is installed.

In the process, an additional backup RTO 13 is connected as a worker to one (any) of the DSP, for example, DSP 1. For this, the CTT 15 connecting the standby RTO 13 to another DSP 2 is turned off using the corresponding controlled isolating valve 23 by closing it. In the operating additional CTT 14, the valve 22, respectively, is open.

Since the thermal connection between the TSP 1 and the backup PTO 13 is adjustable - the excess area created for this subsystem using the backup PTO 13 is not able to lower the temperature on the TSP 1 below the set one, but makes it lower for hot conditions, which ensures a more comfortable temperature of the equipment and thereby contributes to an increase in the resource of his work. In the event of a failure of CTT 7, which provides communication between TSP 1 and its own (according to the thermal circuit) PTO 5, the additional CTT 14 will automatically assume the functions of an inoperative PTO 5. An operator command is not required here, since the backup PTO 13 is already connected to the TPT 1.

If the CTT 8, which provides communication between the TSP 2 and its PTO 6, fails, the backup PTO 13 will be (for example, at the command of the operator) disconnected from the TSP 1 and connected to the TSP 2. For this, the isolation valve 22 of the КНТТ 14 must be closed, and the isolation valve 23 KnTT 15, on the contrary, is open. Similar switching can be carried out automatically according to the temperature sensors.

For the described operation algorithm, it is completely easy to determine the parameters of the working surface of the backup RTO 13, since its refrigerating capacity should be no less than any of the standard RTOs 5, 6 serving the RTDs to which the backup RTO is connected (for future use as a replacement).

If, in the prospective CTP, it is planned to use the RTO 13 not as a backup RTO, but as a universal RTO switched between TSPs using isolation valves to remove peak heat loads in different TSPs one by one, then the parameters of such a RTO should be determined on the basis of thermal calculations, taking into account the specific application of the spacecraft and its equipment.

In addition to the controlled isolating valves 22, 23 in the steam pipelines 20, 21, a three-way valve 30, 31 can be installed between the evaporator 16, 17 and the controlled isolating valve 22, 23, which acts as a passive temperature controller that stops circulation through the condenser and directs it to bypass line 32, 33, when the cooling capacity of the PTO 13 exceeds the required. Electrical control of the state of the valves 22, 23 and 26, 27 is carried out using the electronic unit 34.

In FIG. 3 shows a modification of the claimed technical solution in terms of equipping additional CTT. Since in some cases external thermal effects on the spacecraft RTO can lead to cyclic (multiple and undesirable) movements of the heat carrier through the freely open condensate line 24, 25 from the evaporator 16, 17 to the condenser 18, 19 and vice versa - additional CTTs 14, 15 can be equipped with one isolating valve 26, 27, which (simultaneously, with the closure of the steam line 20, 21) will block the condensate line 24. 25. Double overlap will prevent parasitic circulation of the coolant also during ground tests of the STR satellite, i.e. when the liquid condensed coolant is able to move by gravity between the elements of the CTT, located at different heights.

In order to prevent the RTO 13, which is locked on both sides, from heating up, the condenser 18, 19 of the CTT 14, 15 does not depressurize (does not collapse) - one of the isolation valves in each CTT must be "imperfectly tight" or have a safety valve 29 installed in parallel partial discharge of the coolant from the condenser into the zone that communicates with the evaporator will solve the problem, since the KTT evaporator provides the necessary supply of internal space to accommodate the liquid coolant, taking into account its expansion. The safety valve solution is explained in the circuit shown in FIG. four.

Particular options for constructive solutions by which the extruded profile of the capacitor 18, 19 will allow more than one capacitor to be connected to one (backup) RTO 13 are shown in FIG. 5. For this, two or more independent channels are made in one profile. In the example of FIG. 5, the profile of the capacitors 18, 19 is integrated into a three-layer honeycomb panel having honeycombs 35 closed on both sides by shells 36 of aluminum sheets.

Since it is impossible to predict exactly which circuit will fail when implementing duplication of CTT and RTO, and in addition, it is unlikely that this will happen simultaneously, giving the backup RTO universal capabilities will make it possible to manage as a reserve one RTO for all full-time RTOs, otherwise, each full-time RTO The RTO would need to be provided with its own backup RTO. In those cases where the placement of the required amount of RTO with the given dimensions is not possible due to the features of the spacecraft layout, the use of a universal backup RTO together with the optimization of the equipment operation cycle will allow solving the technical problem of ensuring the thermal regime of the spacecraft equipment.

Thus, the use of the invention allows to increase the reliability of the STR of the spacecraft equipment and expand the functionality of the STR built on the basis of several TSPs or isolated local STRs designed to ensure the thermal regime of free-standing instruments and equipment. This ensures a decrease in the mass of the STR and the removal of a number of layout restrictions that complicate the development of the spacecraft.

Claims (4)

1. The temperature control system of the equipment of the spacecraft, containing at least two thermostatically controlled panels with integrated heat pipes and at least two radiators - coolers, each of the panels is connected to a separate radiator by means of adjustable contour heat pipes, the evaporators of which are installed on the panels, and the condensers are built into radiators, characterized in that the system is equipped with a backup radiator - cooler connected by means of additional adjustable contour heat pipes with at least more than two thermostatically controlled panels, while the evaporators of the additional adjustable contour heat pipes are installed on the panels, and the condensers of the additional adjustable contour heat pipes are built into the backup radiator, and controlled isolating valves are installed in the steam pipelines of the additional contour heat pipes to ensure that the steam pipelines are closed or opened when control teams. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that a controllable insulating valve is installed in the condensate line of each additional heat pipe, the inlet and outlet of which is connected by a bypass pipe containing a safety valve to relieve pressure in the condenser if it exceeds the pressure in the evaporator. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that in the steam pipelines of additional adjustable contour heat pipes between the evaporator and the controlled insulating valve, a three-way valve with a bypass line is installed. 4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the area of the backup radiator is chosen equal to the area of the largest of the radiators connected to the thermostatically controlled panels.

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