Totally enclosed internally cooled radome

Abstract

A fully enclosed internal cooling radome, the wave-transparent area in the middle of the frame is installed with the radome, each interlayer of the hollow fabric is made of inner and outer skins and middle stems, the middle stems are designed as multiple air ducts in cross section, the non-wave-transparent area of the frame is internally formed with cavities, which are communicated with the air ducts to form a closed loop, four fan assemblies are installed at four corners, the middle of one set of opposite sides is divided into two symmetrical loops by foams, the other set of opposite sides is not provided with foams to form straight-through air ducts, the fans of the opposite sides blow air and suck air respectively, air is blown into the air ducts from one side cavity, passes through the liquid-air conversion cold plate at the connecting position, heat is absorbed by the heat dissipation fins and is conducted to the cooling liquid in the liquid cooling base plate, flows to the outside of the radome through the water joint, absorbs the heat of the interlayers inside the radome, enters the other side cavity, absorbs heat again through the liquid-air conversion cold plate, and returns to the one side cavity through the straight-through air ducts to form a circulation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of heat dissipation technology, specifically relating to an antenna radome heat dissipation technology. Background Technology

[0002] Radar radomes protect the antenna or the entire microwave system from external environmental influences and act as a transparent electromagnetic window. For ground-based, shipborne, and airborne radar platforms, radomes enable stable operation in environments with sandstorms, rain, salt spray, and waves.

[0003] As antenna array power density increases, the requirements for radome power resistance and high temperature resistance also increase, with some radomes requiring temperatures exceeding 300°C. However, engineering-grade cyanate ester radomes, while technically mature, can only meet the temperature resistance requirement of 160°C.

[0004] There are several technical approaches to improving the power resistance, high-temperature resistance, and overall performance of radomes: increasing the wave transmittance of the radome material to reduce heat dissipation, developing new high-temperature resistant materials, and using forced air cooling on the inner surface of the radome. Advances in materials technology can fundamentally solve the power resistance problem, but this is limited by the progress of materials research and development, and is also constrained by radar infrared performance indicators.

[0005] Forced air cooling of the inner surface of the radome is a relatively simple structure and a commonly used active heat dissipation technology for radomes in engineering. It is effective in dissipating heat from sandwich radomes with only inner and outer skins. Multi-layered radomes have at least three skins: an inner surface, an outer surface, and a middle layer. They have a wider bandwidth and a larger scanning angle, and the temperature of the middle skin is higher, making forced air cooling difficult to solve the heat dissipation problem. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the technical challenges of high heat generation in high-power radomes, difficulty in heat dissipation in the intermediate layer, and contamination from open-type heat dissipation systems, a technical solution was adopted. This solution involves using a central tuft of material in the radome skin of the wave-transparent area to form an air duct, connecting the non-wave-transparent area frame with the wave-transparent area radome to form a wind-cooling and pressure-reducing cavity, using a liquid-air conversion cooling plate to transfer heat to the outside of the radome, and linking the start / stop of the fan with the array's operating status. This fully enclosed system provides heat dissipation for the intermediate skin, resulting in high structural strength, no impact on wave transmission, prevention of moisture and dust accumulation from internal and external circulation, high efficiency of direct forced heat dissipation of the intermediate layer, heat transfer through a combination of liquid and air cooling, and low energy consumption due to the linked operation of the fan.

[0007] The middle of the frame is the wave-transparent area, where the radome is installed. The non-wave-transparent area inside the frame is designed as a cavity. The inside of the radome is designed as multiple air ducts. The cavity and the air ducts are connected to form a closed loop. Multiple fan components are installed in the cavity. Air is blown from one cavity into the air duct and into the other cavity, forming a circulation.

[0008] The radome is made of multiple layers stacked and cured into a hollow fabric. Each layer is woven from inner and outer skins and a middle pile stem, and cured with PSA resin. The cross-section of the middle pile stem is designed as multiple air ducts.

[0009] The frame is made of high-strength epoxy fiberglass cloth. Four fan components are installed at the four corners of the cavity using fan fixing plates. One set of opposite sides is reinforced with foam to enhance rigidity and divide the cavity into two symmetrical loops, while the other set of opposite sides has no foam, forming a straight ventilation duct.

[0010] Install the fan onto the fan mounting plate using the fan mounting plate, and connect the fan's control and power supply to the array signal using the connector, so that the fan's start and stop are linked to the array's working status. One fan blows air while the other exhausts air. Air is blown from one side cavity into the air duct, enters the other side cavity, and returns to one side cavity through the straight ventilation duct.

[0011] A liquid-air conversion cooling plate is installed at the connection between the cavity and the air duct. Hot air is blown into the air duct from one side of the cavity, passes through the liquid-air conversion cooling plate, and the heat is absorbed by the heat dissipation fins and conducted to the coolant in the liquid-cooled substrate. The coolant then flows out of the radome through the water connector. The cooled air enters the air duct, absorbs the heat of the radome, enters the other side of the cavity, passes through the liquid-air conversion cooling plate, and then returns to the cavity on one side through the straight ventilation duct. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 It is a standard air-cooled structure. Figure 2 It is a velvet stem air duct structure. Figure 3 It is a frame cavity structure. Figure 4 It is the structure of the wind turbine components. Figure 5 It is a liquid-air conversion cooling plate structure. Figure 6 That's how it works. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] The principle of forced air cooling active heat dissipation on the inner surface of the radome in existing technologies is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the active subarray 1 is located in the rear compartment inside the frame 2. The heat generated is conducted to the outside of the array surface through the coolant in the reflector 5. The power generated by the active subarray 1 is radiated outward through the antenna element 6. During the process of penetrating the radome 4, a certain loss occurs, which causes the temperature of the radome to rise. The fans 7 on both sides of the array surface, one for air intake and one for air exhaust, conduct the heat on the surface of the radome to the reflector 5 through the flowing hot air 3 and carry it out of the array surface.

[0015] The hollow fabric of the radome 11 is composed of multiple layers stacked and cured. Each layer is integrally woven from inner and outer skins and a central pile stem 11-1, and cured with PSA resin. The cross-section of the central pile stem 11-1 is designed with multiple air ducts 11-2, such as... Figure 2 As shown, this is the skin for the high-temperature area and provides a channel for air cooling.

[0016] Frame 8 has no power tolerance requirements and is cured with high-strength epoxy fiberglass cloth. The middle section is a wave-transparent area where the antenna cover 11 is installed. The non-wave-transparent area forms a cavity that connects to the air duct 11-2, forming a closed loop to prevent dust and moisture from being introduced through internal and external air circulation. Four fan assemblies 10 are installed at the four corners using fan mounting plates 14. Foam 13 is used to reinforce the rigidity of one set of opposite sides, dividing the cavity into two symmetrical loops, such as... Figure 3 As shown, this reduces flow resistance and improves heat dissipation efficiency. The other set of opposite sides has no foam, forming a straight ventilation channel.

[0017] Fan 10-3 is mounted on fan mounting plate 10-2 to fan fixing plate 14. The control and power supply of fan 10-3 are connected to the array signal via connector 10-1, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the start-up and shutdown of fan 10-3 are linked to the working status of the array. One fan blows air while the other draws air out. Air is blown from one side cavity into air duct 11-2, enters the other side cavity, and returns to one side cavity through the straight ventilation duct, forming a cycle.

[0018] A liquid-air conversion cooling plate 9 is installed at the connection between the cavity of frame 8 and the air duct 11-2. Hot air is blown into the air duct 11-2 from one side of the cavity, passes through the liquid-air conversion cooling plate 9, and the heat is absorbed by the heat dissipation fins 9-1, conducted to the coolant in the liquid-cooled substrate 9-2, and flows out of the antenna radome through the water connector 9-3. Figure 5 As shown, the system continuously cycles, switching between air cooling and liquid cooling. The cooled air enters the air duct 11-2, absorbing heat from the radome 11, especially from the internal interlayer. It then enters the cavity on the other side, passes through the liquid-air conversion cooling plate 9, and undergoes another round of air-cooling and liquid-cooling conversion. The cooled air then returns to the cavity on one side through the direct ventilation duct, forming a cycle. Figure 6 As shown.

[0019] The above are embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully enclosed internal cooling radome, characterized in that, include: The frame has a wave-transparent area in the middle and a cavity formed inside the non-wave-transparent area. The cavity is divided into two symmetrical loops by foam in the middle of one set of opposite sides, and no foam is set on the other set of opposite sides to form a straight ventilation channel. The radome is installed in the wave-transparent area. The radome is made of hollow fabric formed by multiple layers stacked and solidified. Each layer includes inner and outer skins and an intermediate pile stem located between the inner and outer skins. The cross-section of the intermediate pile stem forms multiple air ducts. The air ducts are connected to the cavity at the connection point and form a closed loop. A liquid-air conversion cooling plate is installed at the connection between the cavity and the air duct. The liquid-air conversion cooling plate includes heat dissipation fins, a liquid-cooled substrate and a water connector. When hot air passes through the liquid-air conversion cooling plate, the heat is absorbed by the heat dissipation fins and conducted to the coolant in the liquid-cooled substrate. The coolant carrying the heat flows to the outside of the radome through the water connector. The fan assemblies are respectively installed at the corners of the cavity. One fan assembly blows air and the other draws air from opposite sides, which is used to drive the air to circulate in the closed loop. The air enters the air duct from one side cavity through the liquid-air conversion cooling plate, absorbs the heat of the antenna cover, enters the other side cavity, passes through the liquid-air conversion cooling plate again, and returns to the one side cavity through the direct ventilation duct, forming a cycle.

2. The fully enclosed internal cooling radome according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each layer is woven from inner and outer skins and a central pile stem, and then cured with PSA resin.

3. The fully enclosed internal cooling radome according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame is cured with high-strength epoxy glass cloth, and the fan assembly is installed at the corner of the cavity via a fan fixing plate.

4. The fully enclosed internal cooling radome according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fan assembly includes: a fan mounting plate, a fan, and a connector. The fan is mounted on the fan mounting plate, and the fan's control and power supply are connected to the array signal via the connector, so that the fan's start-up and shutdown are linked to the array's working status.

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