Wrote an article about active and passive cooling systems for robotics in space. This article covers radiators, heat pipes, cryocoolers, pumped fluid loops, and phase change materials.
Takeaways
- Space has extreme temperature fluctuations that can damage components and electronics
- Spacecraft & rovers rely on thermal control to function properly
- Thermal control takes the form of moving heat, releasing heat, and storing heat for later use.
- Radiators are usually used for releasing heat
- Heat pipes and fluid loops are common ways of transferring heat throughout a spacecraft
- Heaters and cryocoolers are active methods of controlling temperature on a spacecraft
- Any heat not radiated from a spacecraft stays on the spacecraft
- Phase change materials are a passive method of storing and releasing heat when needed on a spacecraft or rover.
Read the article here: https://medium.com/@ayaannaha/robotics-in-space-how-why-thermal-control-systems-are-used-3b8ad36e59a0