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Alcatel Space Cannes has successfully designed, manufactured and ground tested a two-LHP lightweight and high performance deployable radiator (“DELPHRAD”) in the frame of a development program co-funded by ESA. DELPHRAD is a follow-up of the STENTOR deployable radiator flight experiment sponsored by CNES (“Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales”; French National Space Agency). The STENTOR and DELPHRAD LHPs were designed, manufactured and delivered by EHP Nivelles (formerly SABCA Brussels). DELPHRAD features significantly lower mass budget than that of STENTOR with slightly better thermal performance. The considerable mass improvement is achieved essentially by the direct condensation thermal concept and the use of corrugated flexible lines. Some technological innovations contribute to facilitate the deployable radiator thermal sub-system manufacturing and its integration in a satellite system.

In the frame of an ESA technology program, the development of a High Capacity Grooved Heat Pipe (HGP), based on the thermal requirements of the next generation of telecommunication satellites, was contracted to SABCA. Different promising concepts and methods of groove technology were reviewed. A trade-off and design study was performed on potential HGP concepts, taking into account theoretical performances (on earth and in micro-gravity), ease of manufacturing and of assembly as well as the heat pipe working reliability and priming capability. The two finally selected concepts were aluminium extruded heat pipes (outer diameter of 25 mm, vapour core diameter of 15 mm), based on a multi re-entrant grooves concept or on a mixed rectangular/re-entrant grooves concept.