FPD'17

D1P5 - ARTES AT - LNA-TEC Peltier Device for Telecom LNA Application - Sonaca Space GmbH (Germany), Thales Alenia Space (Italy), Active Space Technologies SA (Portugal)

14 Feb 2017, 14:55

30m

Newton 1 & 2 (ESA/ESTEC)

Speaker

Mr Luca Celotti (Sonaca Space GmbH)

Description

The Radio Frequency performances of LNA components on-board telecommunication satellites are proportional to the temperature at which they are kept. The lower it is, the better are the performances. This project focuses on the implementation of a Thermo-Electric Cooler (TEC) for the temperature control of the component, optimizing masses, size and power consumption, outside the LNA hermetic sealing. With respect to standard LNA design, this architecture allows to reduce the operational temperature of the LNA components and therefore to reduce the noise on the RF signal improving the performances of the equipment. This is however achieved with a limited increase in power consumption (supplied to the TEC elements) and power dissipation, with a minimal impact on the standard architecture. This last point is also the main advantage with respect to other solutions already developed for LNA cooling which need complex design and parts for cooling (e.g. a dedicated radiator, with all the necessary interfaces, heat-pipes…). The design studied in this project allows reducing the temperatures with minimal design changes to the system architecture. The final performances achieved and measured during thermal vacuum chamber campaign allow reducing the LNA Noise Figure by 0.4dB with the interface temperature at 60°C. The LNA performances are in this case comparable to those of the same unit without cooling device, but at 25°C boundary condition. This performance is achieved with a total power consumption of the cooling solution of 2.2W plus 0.39W for the control electronics and ca. 125 grams additional mass.

Short Speaker Information

Luca Celotti has been working as lead thermal engineer for small landers and satellite, scientific payloads mainly in collaboration with the german aerospace agency. He is active in research and technology development for thermal hardware, in particular thermal straps, heat pipes, heat capacitor based on phase change materials and new coating technologies.