Thermal Analysis of a Novel Lightweight Layered and Tapered Radiator Panel with Pumped-Fluid-Loop System

A novel radiator panel has been designed and optimized to reject heat for less mass than existing technology, achieving 61 W at a base temperature of 300 K while weighing only 126 g. This paper focuses on the thermal analysis of the individual radiator panels, going into detail on their optimal geometry and performance when incorporated into a pumped-fluid-loop system. The specific deployment and fluid loop systems considered are detailed in a companion paper; however, the radiator panel has been created such that any tubed-source-of-heat can take advantage of this design. We improve on the performance of traditional radiators by combining advances in materials science with optimal thermal geometry. Instead of aluminum sandwich panels, we use pyrolytic graphite sheets in an optimally tapered configuration, able to reject hundreds of W/kg (excluding the mass of the ancillary structure or system). Finite element analysis and numerical models are used to determine the effects of layer anisotropy of the design, as well as compute the thermal performance. Finally, a thermal resistance network is created to determine the heat rejection from a pumped-fluid-loop system utilizing these panels. 1400 W of heat was found to be rejected for a 28-panel design, with the maximum spacecraft temperature reaching 50 ?C.