High Power Microwave Source Cooling to Enable Compact Directed Energy Weapons

Recent technical advances may allow high power microwave (HPM) directed energy weapons (DEW) for deployment on aircraft in the near future. Major obstacles in the their application will require effective solutions in high heat flux thermal management andreducing the mass of the components. An innovative lightweight thermal management concept providing high heat flux capability for HPM source devices for DEW systems is proposed. The thermal approach utilizes enhanced cooling mechanisms (subcoolednucleate flow-boiling cooling) coupled with an optimized cooling channel geometry that can be integrated within the HPM structure. The concept provides both improved thermal performance (capability up to 500 W/cm2) and a low mass thermal management systemfor projected aircraft DEW applications. The enhanced heat transfer allows much higher heat flux operation yet maintains the structure's temperature. The overall design concept provides a mass efficient and highly effective thermal control approach thatwill provide necessary enabling technology for successful deployment of advanced HPM directed energy weapon systems.