Cold Plate Thermal Storage for Directed Energy Weapon Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Directed energy weapons (DEWs) generate significant heat during operation, leading to oversized, inefficient, and heavy thermal management systems due to thermal transients, which are not optimized for sustained operation.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system incorporating a heat transfer assembly with a phase change material, a cold plate, and a closed-loop fluid system, where the phase change material transforms between solid and liquid states to manage heat during firing and charging modes, allowing for efficient heat transfer and system sizing based on average cooling loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a thermal management system is sized to handle peak thermal loads during firing mode, then the DEW can be cooled during brief operating intervals, but the system becomes significantly oversized, inefficient and heavy for normal operating modes
Solution Approach 1:
The phase change material is pre-positioned within the cold plate to absorb thermal energy during firing mode. This preliminary thermal storage capability allows the system to handle peak loads without requiring an oversized active cooling system, thereby reducing overall system weight while maintaining effective temperature control during brief operating intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the phase change material's ability to change thermal storage parameters (from solid to liquid state) in response to thermal load variations. This parameter change allows the thermal management system to adapt its cooling capacity dynamically, providing sufficient cooling during firing mode without being continuously oversized for non-lasing modes, thus reducing system weight and improving efficiency.
2Temperature
If a thermal management system is sized to handle peak thermal loads during firing mode, then the DEW can be cooled during brief operating intervals, but the system becomes inefficient for normal operating modes
Solution Approach 1:
The phase change material is pre-positioned within the cold plate to absorb thermal energy during firing mode. This preliminary thermal storage capability allows the system to handle peak loads without requiring an oversized active cooling system, thereby reducing overall system weight while maintaining effective temperature control during brief operating intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the phase change material's ability to change thermal storage parameters (from solid to liquid state) in response to thermal load variations. This parameter change allows the thermal management system to adapt its cooling capacity dynamically, providing sufficient cooling during firing mode without being continuously oversized for non-lasing modes, thus reducing system weight and improving efficiency.
3Temperature
If a thermal management system is sized to handle peak thermal loads during firing mode, then the DEW can be cooled during brief operating intervals, but the system becomes significantly oversized
Solution Approach 1:
The phase change material is pre-positioned within the cold plate to absorb thermal energy during firing mode. This preliminary thermal storage capability allows the system to handle peak loads without requiring an oversized active cooling system, thereby reducing overall system weight while maintaining effective temperature control during brief operating intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the phase change material's ability to change thermal storage parameters (from solid to liquid state) in response to thermal load variations. This parameter change allows the thermal management system to adapt its cooling capacity dynamically, providing sufficient cooling during firing mode without being continuously oversized for non-lasing modes, thus reducing system weight and improving efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves efficient heat management, reducing the size and power requirements of thermal management systems, enabling lighter and more efficient cooling solutions for DEWs.
Implementation Method 1
the phase change material is operable to transform from a first state to a second state... the first state is a solid and the second state is a liquid
Implementation Method 2
A thermal management system for a directed energy weapon includes a heat transfer assembly thermally coupled to the directed energy weapon. The heat transfer assembly includes a phase change material.
Implementation Method 3
a thermal management fluid circulating through a closed loop fluidly coupled to the heat transfer assembly and the secondary system
Implementation Method 4
The heat transfer assembly includes a cold plate and the directed energy weapon is thermally coupled to a surface of the cold plate
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A thermal management system (20) for a directed energy weapon (22) includes a heat transfer assembly (24) thermally coupled to the directed energy weapon. The heat transfer assembly includes a phase change material (36). The thermal management system further includes a secondary system (26) and a thermal management fluid (R) circulating through a closed loop fluidly coupled to the heat transfer assembly and the secondary system. A mode of operation of the directed energy weapon is dependent on a condition of the phase change material.