Optimization Study on Air Duct of Solar Array Simulator for Space Power

Abstract

For the high power solar array simulator, the requirements such as high power, miniaturization and modularization are higher. In this paper the total power of the simulator is 2.4KW with the chassis height is no more than 2u. The forced air cooling is adopted and the air duct optimization is studied in details. The modular structure is used in the forced cooling system according to the electrical connection requirement. The chassis is divided into three parts, the linear, the multilevel and the DCDC module. And the independent cooling air duct system is set up for each part. The contractile air duct of the multilevel and the DCDC part are optimized mainly. The forced air cooling system with the optimization design can satisfy the high power density requirements of the simulator. The maximum case temperature of the components can be controlled under 88°C, and all the devices in the simulator can work safely and reliably. The results are verified by both finite element simulation and thermal test.