Development of Loop Heat Pipe Deployable Radiator for Use on Engineering Test Satellite VIII (ETS-VIII) 2001-01-2341

This paper presents a design of deployable radiator and engineering model test for ETS-VIII (Engineering Test Satellite VIII). ETS-VIII will be launched in 2003, which establishes and verifies an advanced 3-ton-class spacecraft bus and an advanced communication technology via satellite. Developed deployable radiator uses LHP (Loop Heat Pipe) whose reservoir is embedded in an evaporator (RELHP) and wick is 0.5 micron fine pore radius stainless steel. Further, CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) face-skin with high thermal conductive graphite fiber is used for panel face-skin to reduce panel thickness as well as the panel weight. Thin panel is necessary to reduce stowed panel space. RELHP (Reservoir Embedded Loop Heat Pipe) condenser, aluminum alloy channel, is embedded in the CFRP face-skin radiator panel. Further, engineering model test of the developed deployable radiator has already finished. Deployment, thermal performance, vibration, acoustic and thermal vacuum/balance test, has been carried out successfully. Furthermore, analytical results were compared with thermal balance test. Analytical results have good agreement with tested results.