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Results for “Thermal control coating”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Correlation of Predicted and Observed Optical Properties of Multilayer Thermal Control Coatings

Thermal control coatings on spacecraft will be increasingly important, as spacecraft grow smaller and more compact. New thermal control coatings will be needed to meet the demanding requirements of next generation spacecraft. Computer programs are now available to design optical coatings and one such program was used to design several thermal control coatings consisting of alternating layers of WO3 and SiO2. The coatings were subsequently manufactured with electron beam evaporation and characterized with both optical and thermal techniques. Optical data were collected in both the visible region of the spectrum and the infrared. Predictions of solar absorptance and infrared emittance were successfully correlated to the observed thermal control properties. Functional performance of the coatings was verified in a bench top thermal vacuum chamber.

Jaworske, Donald A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Review of End-of-Life Thermal Control Coating Performance

White thermal control coatings capable of long term performance are needed for Fission Surface Power (FSP) where heat from a nuclear reactor placed on the surface of the Moon must be rejected to the environment. The threats to thermal control coating durability on the lunar surface are electrons, protons, and ultraviolet radiation. The anticipated damage to the coating is a gradual darkening over time. The increase in solar absorptance would, in essence, add a cyclic heat load to the radiator. The greater the darkening, the greater the added heat load. The cyclic heat load could ultimately impart a cyclic influence on FSP system performance. No significant change in emittance is anticipated. Optical properties degradation data were found in the open literature for the Z-93 series of thermal control paints. Additional optical properties degradation data were found from the Lunar Orbiter V mission, the Optical Properties Monitor, and the Materials International Space Station Experiment. Anticipated end-of-life thermal control coating performance for a FSP installation is postulated. With the FSP installation located away from landing and launching areas, and out of line-of-sight, lunar dust from human activity may not be a threat. The benefits of investing in next generation thermal control paint chemistry are explored.

Jaworske, Donald A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Selected results for LDEF thermal control coatings

Several different thermal control coatings were analyzed as part of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) Materials Special Investigation Group activity and as part of the Space Environment Effects on Spacecraft Materials Experiment M0003. A brief discussion of the results obtained for these materials is presented.

Golden, Johnny L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Post Irradiation Evaluation of Thermal Control Coatings and Solid Lubricants to Support Fission Surface Power Systems

The development of a nuclear power system for space missions, such as the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter or a lunar outpost, requires substantially more compact reactor design than conventional terrestrial systems. In order to minimize shielding requirements and hence system weight, the radiation tolerance of component materials within the power conversion and heat rejection systems must be defined. Two classes of coatings, thermal control paints and solid lubricants, were identified as material systems for which limited radiation hardness information was available. Screening studies were designed to explore candidate coatings under a predominately fast neutron spectrum. The Ohio State Research Reactor Facility staff performed irradiation in a well characterized, mixed energy spectrum and performed post irradiation analysis of representative coatings for thermal control and solid lubricant applications. Thermal control paints were evaluated for 1 MeV equivalent fluences from 10(exp 13) to 10(exp 15) n per square centimeters. No optical degradation was noted although some adhesive degradation was found at higher fluence levels. Solid lubricant coatings were evaluated for 1 MeV equivalent fluences from 10(exp 15) to 10(exp 16) n per square centimeters with coating adhesion and flexibility used for post irradiation evaluation screening. The exposures studied did not lead to obvious property degradation indicating the coatings would have survived the radiation environment for the previously proposed Jupiter mission. The results are also applicable to space power development programs such as fission surface power for future lunar and Mars missions.

Bowman, Cheryl L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Variable anodic thermal control coating on aluminum

A variable thermal control coating (modified chromic acid anodizing) has been developed to meet the needs for the thermal control of spacecraft. This coating, with controlled variable ranges of 0.10 to 0.72 thermal emittance and 0.2 to 0.4 solar absorptance, allows the user to select any value of thermal emittance and solar absorptance within the range specified and obtain both values within + or - 0.02. Preliminary solar stability has shown less than 15 percent degradation over 2000 hours of vacuum solar exposure. The technique has been determined to be sensitive to the parameters of voltage, rate of voltage application, time, temperature, acid concentration, and material pretreatment.

Duckett, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Laboratory electron exposure of TSS-1 thermal control coating

RM400, a conductive thermal control coating, was developed for use on the exterior shell of the tethered satellite. Testing was performed by the Engineering Physics Division to quantify effects of the space environment on this coating and its conductive and optical properties. Included in this testing was exposure of RM400 to electrons with energies ranging from 0.1 to 1 keV, to simulate electrons accelerated from the ambient space plasma when the tethered satellite is fully deployed. During this testing, the coating was found to luminesce, and a prolonged exposure of the coating to high-energy electrons caused the coating to darken. This report describes the tests done to quantify the degradation of the thermal control properties caused by electron exposure and to measure the luminescence as a function of electron energy and current density to the satellite.

Vaughn, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Optical Property Evaluation of Next Generation Thermal Control Coatings

Next generation white thermal control coatings were developed via the Small Business Innovative Research program utilizing lithium silicate chemistry as a binder. Doping of the binder with additives yielded a powder that was plasma spray capable and that could be applied to light weight polymers and carbon-carbon composite surfaces. The plasma sprayed coating had acceptable beginning-of-life and end-of-live optical properties, as indicated by a successful 1.5 year exposure to the space environment in low Earth orbit. Recent studies also showed the coating to be durable to simulated space environments consisting of 1 keV and 10 keV electrons, 4.5 MeV electrons, and thermal cycling. Large scale deposition was demonstrated on a polymer matrix composite radiator panel, leading to the selection of the coating for use on the Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission.

Jaworske, Donald A.↗