Fabrication and Testing of CFRP embedded Oscillating Heat Pipe for Microsatellite

In recent years, satellites, especially micro satellites, uses higher and higher power to achieve advanced mission and complicated thermal management or more power to heater are needed. Then, the concept of the Autonomous Thermal Control Network is proposed as a novel thermal control method for high power micro satellites. This system utilises three advanced and functional thermal management devices, Oscillating Heat Pipe, multiple evaporator Loop Heat Pipe and Reversible Thermal Panel. The OHP is integrated into a baseplate and it is also a body structure. Some high heat generating equipment are attached to the one side of the baseplate (the evaporator of the OHP) and two evaporators of mLHP are attached to the other (the condenser of the OHP). The condensers of mLHP are installed to two surfaces of the body structure panel of the 3U satellite and the RTPs are joined together with these body structure panels. Many fundamental and application studies on the OHP have been conducted. One of the actual problem is how to install the OHP in the spacecraft body without large thermal resistance. In this study, a OHP embedded in high-thermal-conductive CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) is proposed. The OHP consists of flow pass and CFRP plate which is made of pitch-based carbon fibres. It is estimated that the fiber direction of the prepreg have effect on the performance of the OHP. Therefore, verification experiments to reveal the relationship between the fiber direction and the performance of OHP by simple OHP. Three OHPs whose fiber direction are different were made and they show different behavior. Taking the results of the verification experiments into consideration, the lamination direction of prepreg of the OHP for the network system is determined. Some experiments are conducted and their results will be showed in the presentation.