Demonstration of Cryogenic Saturated Spray Electronics Cooling

One example where new cooling systems are required immediately is high power solid state phased array microwave transmitters. Used in military and commercial applications, including radar, electronic defense systems, and satellite communication data linksthese electronically scanned antennas are more reliable and efficient than mechanically scanned designs. Prior Mainstream research has already demonstrated that our saturated spray cooling (at room temperature) has reduced the chip junction temperatureand increased microwave power output by 30% without any increase in input power! For large EW systems, this has a significant impact on total power requirements and cooling loads. This Phase I effort will experimentally demonstrate the next step inMainstream's saturated spray cooling, namely a unique cryogenic saturated spray cooling system which will further improve the heat transfer, reliability, and output capacity of high power density electronics. This Phase I effort will demonstrate that theproposed configuration has significant benefits in terms of reduced weight, compact configuration, rapid response, and increased operational flexibility. Fundamental heat transfer experiments as well as demonstrations on an actual Mafet Transmit Modulewill be performed in Phase I to clearly validate the technology. A commercial partner has been secured, and a Fast-Track Phase II is planned.This Phase I includes an extensive demonstration of the performance, reliability, and simplicity of the Mainstreamunique cryogenic saturated spray cooling before proceeding to Phase II. Mainstream is proposing much more that merely simulating a system in Phase I. Mainstream is proposing to demonstrate the benefits of saturated cryogenic spray cooling and theresulting electronic performance improvements which then occur on actual high-power density chips. This Phase I is critical because it has been designed to provide the necessary proof of concept experiments necessary to convince our defense-contractorcommercialization partner, and the DoD community of the size, reliability, and performance benefits of the proposed system. A successful Phase I will provide sufficient momentum to allow this technology to proceed. Mainstream has a long-term commercialinterest in this technology and the tremendous commercial opportunity is well understood.