Development of a Mechanical Pump-Assisted Active Two-Phase Thermal Control System (MPA2PTCS) for High Power Satellite

High-throughput satellite (HTS) provides more throughput than a classic fixed satellite service (FSS), usually by a factor of 20 or more, for the same amount of allocated orbital spectrum, thus significantly reducing cost-per-bit. With the upward trending of the telecommunication satellite capability, the power consumption of the payload electronics, and thus the required heat rejection capability, has increased tremendously in the past decade. The power consumption for high throughput satellite can be upward to 25 kW. Passive two-phase (heat pipe, loop heat pipe, etc.), single-phase pump loop, and mechanical pump-assisted active two-phase thermal control system (MPA2PTCS) have been used in addressing the satellite thermal management issues. For high heat load, high heat flux, and long transport distance application, the passive two-phase and single-phase pump loop have reached their limits. Recent developments have shown that the MPA2PTCS is very promising in offering thermal management for HTS market. Additionally, MPA2PTCS has better architecture flexibility and better tolerance to late-stage design change. Compared to the single-phase thermal control system, the MPA2PTCS offers better temperature uniformity, lower pumping power, and potentially lighter system mass. With these benefits, the prospect of deploying two-phase thermal control technology in high power spacecraft is very promising. Collins Aerospace has been working on the development of an experimental high power MPA2PTCS for geosynchronous satellite. This MPA2PTCS consists of a pump, multiple evaporators, multiple condensers, and a two-phase accumulator. The operating principle of the MPA2PTCS and the performance of each component will be reviewed in this paper. Other performance-enhanced components such as recuperator, sub-cooler, and gas trap for the future MPA2PTCS will also be reviewed.