Modeling and simulation of micro satellite active thermal control system using EHD heat pipe

The heat transfer trough EHD (electrohydrodynamic) heat pipes can be controlled by electric field intensity. In order to study its applying effects in micro satellite thermal control system, dynamical models for the temperature changes of both controlled object and cooling device were built up, the control effects, which use different thermal control strategy, were also simulated and analyzed. The simulation results show that combining the EHD heat pipes and traditional PID control law together can successfully control the temperature change of electronic equipment. The dynamical equations presented here provide a convenient mathematical model for micro satellite's EHD thermal control system's simulation and design.