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This paper describes the transient simulation of a single-phase mechanically pumped fluid loop (MPFL) thermal control system, developed in the frame of the European Space Agency ARTES 8 (Advanced Research in Telecommunication Systems - Large Platform Program) program. MPFL is intended to cool a part of the payload on a high power telecommunication satellite. A transient simulation has been implemented using ESATAN/FHTS; hence the results have been correlated with the test results, obtained from full scale MPFL testing, using real on-orbit profiles. The most considerable parts of the activities described herein are simulation of the thermal control law, verification of control parameters during thermo-hydraulic testing and the subsequent correlation.

This paper presents the last developments which have been performed at SABCA under internal funding, and the application of this work on the Technological Telecommunication Satellite STENTOR. The High Performance Capillary Pumped Loop ( HPCPL ) has been defined to get a reliable operation mode under a very wide range of operation conditions. Preliminary results have been already presented (ref. (1)), showing the high performances and the reliable functional characteristics of the HPCPL. The present paper emphasises the last developments which have been performed at SABCA.

Necessity of thermal control of dissipative units located on the earth panel and thermally linked to the North and South radiators of a telecommunication satellite has been identified since many years ago. The thermal control of TV SAT TDF platforms was defined using this concept, but necessitated a complex heat pipe networks with on-ground test constraints. The emergence of the capillary-pumped two-phase loop authorises to perform the same function using one item with virtually no on-ground test constraints. Since 1995, Alcatel Space Cannes (formerly Aerospatiale Cannes), sponsored by CNES, have developed a STENTOR (“Satellite de Télécommunication pour l'Expérimentation de Nouvelles Technologies en Orbite”) 1000 W CPL. The ground qualification has been completed in 1999 and the flight qualification is planned late 2000 (launch of STENTOR satellite).