Enabling Thermal Solutions for Future Laser Weapon Systems

In response to topic 221-0009 of the Air Force 21.2 SBIR solicitation, titled “Enabling Thermal Solutions for Future Laser Weapon Systems”, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) will develop a two-phase, hybrid evaporator that is capable of high heat fluxes from multiple heat sources while maintaining temperature uniformity. The proposed concept is based on a cold plate that was demonstrated to manage heat fluxes up to 800 W/cm2 from an array of eight Radio Frequency (RF) transistors that operated at frequencies greater than 100 GHz. The proposed concept will bring thermal management to the laser source itself, and will result in a cooling system that is lightweight, compact, rugged, and capable of removing adequate heat for high energy laser weapon systems. In Phase I, ACT will demonstrate the cold plate technology through experimental testing of a sub-scale prototype.  In Phase II, we will work with our commercial partner to develop a full-scale demonstration unit for delivery to and testing at the appropriate Air Force facility.