Experimental study of thermal control component filled with metallic PCM

A thermal control component (TCC) filled with metallic phase change material (PCM) is used for thermal control of a spacecraft payload. By analyzing the thermal control requirement of the payload, a TCC filled with Ga-Sn alloy is designed and manufactured. In the earth experimental platform, the performance of TCC is tested. Experimental results show that the TCC filled with Ga-Sn alloy matches the thermal control requirement for the payload. Also the mathematical model of phase-change heat transfer for TCC is set up to predict the performance of TCC. The results indicate that the agreement between experimental results and simulation results is significant, and the mathematical model of phase-change heat transfer for TCC is suitable for predicting the performance of TCC.