Compact, Low Mass and Very Low Maintenance TMS for High Power Directed Energy Systems

High capacity Thermal Management System (TMS) systems that can rapidly absorb peak waste heat using phase change, liquid to vapor, dissipating it gradually during normal operation, are the most ideal and most compact TMS possible for advanced weapon systems. These systems e.g. high power ADT/RF, are typically powered cyclically and intermittently with peak requirement reaching upwards to 200 kW per system; with substantially lower average thermal dissipation requirement during normal operation. Water and ammonia offer highest latent heat of vaporization of all liquid candidates; as well as providing high thermal storage density. Furthermore, their near isothermal characteristics during the phase-change and re-constitution processes are perfectly compatible with advanced micro-electronic systems that need to operate within a very narrow temperature range in order to achieve the optimal performance. TMS approach is proposed for evaluation, which uses different fluids to accommodate specific system cooling temperatures. A successful demonstration of the proposed technology will lead to full scale development and demonstration for a real system in Phase II.