Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem Electronics

The temperature field of an electronic optical instrument can affect the image quality realised by the instrument and, in extreme cases, lead to damage. This is particularly true for instruments operating in harsh environments such as space. The hyperspectral imaging optical instrument (OI) designed...

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Main Authors: Kacper Kuta, Grzegorz Nowak, Iwona Nowak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/24/6462
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author Kacper Kuta
Grzegorz Nowak
Iwona Nowak
author_facet Kacper Kuta
Grzegorz Nowak
Iwona Nowak
author_sort Kacper Kuta
collection DOAJ
description The temperature field of an electronic optical instrument can affect the image quality realised by the instrument and, in extreme cases, lead to damage. This is particularly true for instruments operating in harsh environments such as space. The hyperspectral imaging optical instrument (OI) designed for the Intuition-1 (I-1) nanosatellite, currently in low Earth orbit, has been subjected to a numerical analysis of its thermal state under different operating conditions, and some preliminary experimental tests have been carried out to determine the maximum operating temperatures of its sensitive components and the risk of thermal damage. This work was part of a testing campaign prior to the deployment of Intuition-1. Three operational cases were analysed: (1) behaviour in the Earth’s atmospheric conditions when the OI is pointed at the Sun, (2) the end of the de-tumbling process in orbit with the Sun crossing the diagonal of the OI’s field of view, and (3) identification of the maximum possible number of consecutive Earth imaging cycles in orbit. The ultimate goal of this work was to validate the numerical approach used for these cases and to deepen the understanding of the thermal safety of the CMOS image sensor placed in the OI. For these cases, transient thermal field analyses were performed for the OI to determine the temperature distribution and its variability in the most thermally sensitive CMOS image sensor. The components of the OI and its overall structure were experimentally tested, and the results were used to validate the numerical models. The study showed that the built-in temperature sensor does not always reflect the actual CMOS temperature, and in some extreme cases the current temperature monitoring does not ensure its safe operation.
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spelling doaj-art-c72cee4b304041c1969caa95bcfd00352025-08-20T02:53:41ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732024-12-011724646210.3390/en17246462Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem ElectronicsKacper Kuta0Grzegorz Nowak1Iwona Nowak2Department of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandDepartment of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandDepartment of Mathematical Methods in Technology and Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandThe temperature field of an electronic optical instrument can affect the image quality realised by the instrument and, in extreme cases, lead to damage. This is particularly true for instruments operating in harsh environments such as space. The hyperspectral imaging optical instrument (OI) designed for the Intuition-1 (I-1) nanosatellite, currently in low Earth orbit, has been subjected to a numerical analysis of its thermal state under different operating conditions, and some preliminary experimental tests have been carried out to determine the maximum operating temperatures of its sensitive components and the risk of thermal damage. This work was part of a testing campaign prior to the deployment of Intuition-1. Three operational cases were analysed: (1) behaviour in the Earth’s atmospheric conditions when the OI is pointed at the Sun, (2) the end of the de-tumbling process in orbit with the Sun crossing the diagonal of the OI’s field of view, and (3) identification of the maximum possible number of consecutive Earth imaging cycles in orbit. The ultimate goal of this work was to validate the numerical approach used for these cases and to deepen the understanding of the thermal safety of the CMOS image sensor placed in the OI. For these cases, transient thermal field analyses were performed for the OI to determine the temperature distribution and its variability in the most thermally sensitive CMOS image sensor. The components of the OI and its overall structure were experimentally tested, and the results were used to validate the numerical models. The study showed that the built-in temperature sensor does not always reflect the actual CMOS temperature, and in some extreme cases the current temperature monitoring does not ensure its safe operation.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/24/6462cubesatthermal managementthermal analysiselectronics
spellingShingle Kacper Kuta
Grzegorz Nowak
Iwona Nowak
Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem Electronics
Energies
cubesat
thermal management
thermal analysis
electronics
title Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem Electronics
title_full Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem Electronics
title_fullStr Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem Electronics
title_full_unstemmed Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem Electronics
title_short Thermal Management of Cubesat Subsystem Electronics
title_sort thermal management of cubesat subsystem electronics
topic cubesat
thermal management
thermal analysis
electronics
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/24/6462
work_keys_str_mv AT kacperkuta thermalmanagementofcubesatsubsystemelectronics
AT grzegorznowak thermalmanagementofcubesatsubsystemelectronics
AT iwonanowak thermalmanagementofcubesatsubsystemelectronics