Unit, Development and Subsystem Level

Thermal Testing

Part 2

1
 Part 2 Roadmap

Test Purposes and Test Test Test

Industry Practices Types Levels Margins

Unit Thermal Thermal Unit Test

Testing Cycling Vacuum Requirements

Development Subsystem
Testing Testing

Spacecraft Level Test Spacecraft Math Model

Testing Temperatures Thermal Balance Correlation
Objectives

Space
Test Lessons Testing
Environment
Simulation Planning Learned Checklist

2
 Introduction

In this lesson, the various types of tests performed at

the unit and subsystem level will be discussed.

3
 Overview

We will start with a definition of a “unit” and show how

margins are applied to predicted flight temperatures to
establish unit test temperature ranges.

Thermal cycle, thermal vacuum, and burn-in tests will

be described along with government requirements for
such testing.

The unique aspects of development and subsystem

level testing will be discussed.
4
Unit Level Testing

5
 What is considered a “unit”?

“Unit” defined as a functional item that is viewed as a

complete and separate entity for purposes of
manufacturing, maintenance, or record-keeping.
Examples: Electronic box, battery, solar array,
valve, electrical harness.

6
 Approaches to Unit Test Temperatures
MIL-STD- JPL Commercial Programs
1540 (Different Contractors)
GSFC

Qualification Margin

Acceptance Margin
Thermal
Model
Flight Allowable
Temperature
Margin
Prediction
Range Thermal Uncertainty
Margin

7
 Establishing Unit Level Test Temperatures
Qualification
Design Test Hot

Protoqual Hot
Acceptance Hot
------------
5 to11°C

Thermal uncertainty Qualification

and/or Acceptance Protoqual
Margin Margin
Allowable Flight Margin
(5 to 10°C) (10 to 20°C)
margin

Min/Max
Model -----------
Temperature 5 to 11°C OR 25 to 30% Acceptance Cold
Predictions control authority Protoqual Cold

Qualification
Cold

8
Unit Thermal Cycling Test

9
 Unit Thermal Cycling Overview

Vacuum Thermal Cycling

Chamber Chamber

Rapid temperature cycling in Vacuum Jar

ambient air or gaseous Fan

nitrogen. Conduction
Cooled

Heating Elements
Unit MLI Cooling
Cooled
Fans for circulation Cold
Unit
Coils

Heating elements and Plate

Circulating
Air
cooling coils
Vacuum Baffle
Coolant In Coolant Out Pump Insulation

10
 Unit Thermal Cycling Overview (cont.)

Functional tests are performed at hot and cold

plateaus, but primary emphasis is environmental stress
screening.

Types of failures found in thermal cycling of electronic

equipment:
Loose connectors
Defective solder joints
Inadequate stress relief
Performance drift
Material deficiencies
11
 Example - Unit Thermal Cycle Profile
6 hr Based on 6 hr
Required
maximum 1 hr
hot expected
temperature Legend
Turn On
Turn Off

Ambient

Based on
minimum
expected
temperature
Increasing
temperature Required
cold
1 hr
6 hr 6 hr
First cycle Intermediate
cycles Last cycle

Notes:
1. Operation is continuous except the component is turned off prior to cold and hot start.
2. To facilitate cool down, the component may also be turned off during cool down at
temperatures below the minimum expected temperature.
12
 Hot and Cold Temperature Plateau

Most organizations define “Dwell” as the total time at plateau temperature.

MilStd 1540 defines Dwell as time at plateau temperature to allow unit internal
temperatures to equilibrate and Soak as the total time at plateau temperature.
(1)

Time Unit Not

Thermal Soak
Operating
Temperature

Hot Operational
Thermal Dwell Soak Cold
Test
Start
Tolerance

Thermal Functional
Stabilization Test Thermal Functional
Stabilization Test
Test
Temperature

Tolerance Hot
Start
Thermal Dwell
Unit
Operating Thermal Soak
Time
13
Unit Thermal Vacuum Test

14
 Unit Thermal Vacuum Overview
Demonstrates the ability of the unit to perform in an
appropriate thermal environment (temperature and
vacuum).

Basic difference between Thermal Cycle and Thermal

Vacuum is the vacuum environment.
The vacuum environment is realistic of flight
conditions because convection is eliminated.
Parts will reach hotter temperatures.
Thermal gradients will be accurate.
Vacuum-sensitive parts will be appropriately
stressed.
15
 Unit Thermal Vacuum Overview (cont.)

Although temperature cycles are performed, the

primary emphasis of thermal vacuum testing is
performance verification.
Demonstrates that unit performance is within
specification in hot and cold thermal environments.
Accomplished through extensive functional tests
performed at hot and cold temperature plateaus.
Testing is also performed during temperature
transitions.

16
 Unit Thermal Vacuum Test Configuration

For conduction cooled equipment…

Generally hard mounted to a thermally controlled
heat sink.
Component covered with a thermal blanket.
For radiation-cooled or conduction/radiation-cooled
equipment….
Conduction heat transfer to thermally controlled
heat sink and radiation heat transfer to surrounding
environment should be controlled to the same
proportion as calculated for the flight environment.

17
 Unit Thermal Vacuum Test Configuration (cont.)

Vacuum Thermal Cycling

Chamber Chamber

Chamber vacuum capability

of 10-5 Torr or lower Vacuum Jar
Fan

Conduction
Cooled
Unit

Heating Elements
MLI Cooling
Heating and cooling Cooled
Unit
Coils

Cold
capability controlled on Plate
Circulating
chamber walls and cold Air

plates
Vacuum Baffle
Coolant In Coolant Out Pump Insulation

18
Unit Test Requirements

19
 Test Requirements for Electronic Units

Temperature range: (1,3,5)

Organization Test Minimum margin over flight Minimum
predictions (°C) Range
Passive Active (°C)
design design*

GSFC Acceptance 10 5 None

Protoflight 15 10 None
Qualification Same as Protoflight

JPL Acceptance 5 5 -25 to +55

Protoflight +20/-15 +20/-15 -35 to +70
Qualification Same as Protoflight

DoD Acceptance 11 0 -24 to +61

Protoflight 16 5 -29 to +66
Qualification 21 10 -34 to +71
*Active design must have capacity margin of 30% for GSFC, 25% for DoD
20
 Test Requirements for Electronic Units (cont.)
Number of cycles, transitions, and dwell duration: (1,3,5)
Organization Test Number of cycles Dwell at plateaus Transition rate
(hours) (°C/min)
GSFC Acceptance 8 at unit level or 4 1 to 2 typical
4 unit+4 subsystem*
Protoflight “ “ “
Qualification “ “ “

JPL Acceptance Min of 3, Max of 10 2 ≤5

Protoflight “ “ “
Qualification “ “ “

DoD Acceptance 10 TC and 4TV or 7 first and last cycle 1 to 5

14 TC 1 on other cycles
Protoflight 23 TC and 4 TV or “ “
27 TC
Qualification “ “ “

*GSFC allows ambient pressure testing with 50% cycle increase plus PF margin of 25C or acceptance
margin of 20C and 6 hour soaks at plateaus

21
 Test Requirements for Electronic Units (cont.)

Important for unit to be “on”.

Effective screening only accomplished with unit
operating.
Functional tests at hot and cold plateaus for
performance verification.
Operation during transitions to plateaus to test
workmanship over full temperature range.
Hot and cold starts after non-operational soak
period.

22
 Test Requirements for Electronic Units (cont.)

Burn-in testing is a continuation of thermal cycling

without functional testing.
Often performed as part of thermal cycling.
Objective is to accrue additional hours under
thermal stress.
GSFC(3) JPL DoD(1)
1000 hours total “on” time 1000 hours “on” time for 200 hours under thermal
for unit level and spacecraft unit level and spacecraft vacuum or thermal cycle
level testing, including 200 level testing, including 72 conditions at unit level with
hours at hot/cold plateaus hours at hot and 24 hours at last 100 hours failure free.
in vacuum. Last 350 hours cold plateaus in vacuum.
must be failure free.

23
 Example of Tailored Temperature Requirements

Data Handling & TT&C Subsystem

Electrical Power Distribution Unit
Main Computer
Mass Memory Unit
Stabilization & Control Subsystem
Inertial Reference Unit <1.25C/24-hr distortion

Dipole Ring Array Antenna

Cone Antenna
Solar Array
Solar Array Dampers

Cold turn-on at -18C

Payload 1
Payload 2
Batteries (Ni-Cd) <5C cell-to-cell
Batteries (Ni-H2)
Trickle Charge
Maximum Discharge
Propulsion Subsystem
<1C slice-to-slice
Demodulator Unit
Survival Temperature Range
Cesium Clock <0.1C internal gradient

Operating Temperature Range

-200 -180 -160 -140 -120 -100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Temperature (Degrees C)

24
 Testing of Non-electronic Units

With some modifications, the approach to thermal

testing of electronic units applies to other units:
Moving mechanical assemblies
Antennas
Solar arrays
Batteries
These items have special requirements that demand
careful test planning.

25
MilStd 1540 Test Requirements for Various Units (1)

Electronic or

Components
Solar Panel
Mechanical

Propulsion
Equipment

Equipment

Equipment

Equipment
Assembly

Structural
Electrical

Pressure

Thruster
Antenna

Valve or

Thermal
Moving

Battery

Optical
Vessel
Test

Qualification and Protoqualification Testing

Thermal R ER ER ER ER ER ER ER ER ER -
Cycling
Thermal R R R R R R R R R R R
Vacuum
Acceptance Testing
Thermal R ER ER ER ER ER - ER ER ER -
Cycling
Thermal R R R R R R ER R R R R
Vacuum
R = Required
ER = Evaluation Required
- = Not Required

26
 Unit Testing of Moving Mechanical Assemblies

Moving mechanical assemblies can be extremely

temperature sensitive and may be sensitive to
temperature gradients.

JPL and DoD require thermal vacuum testing at the

qualification and acceptance levels. (1)

Motion performance should be demonstrated at hot

and cold temperature extremes.

27
 Unit Testing of Moving Mechanical Assemblies (cont.)

Motion performance should also be demonstrated

during severe thermal gradients or transitions.
Particularly deployment mechanisms and bearing
assemblies.
For deployment mechanisms, possible
clearance/binding problems at temperature
extremes and under temperature gradient
conditions.
For bearing assemblies, friction can be highly
dependent on temperature gradients.
28
 Unit Testing of Antennas

Antennas are externally mounted components that

experience wide temperature excursions and rapid rates of
temperature change.

JPL requires thermal vacuum testing at Qual/Protoflight,

and Acceptance levels.

DoD only requires thermal vacuum testing at

qual/protoqual level for performance verification and
demonstration of design.

29
 Unit Testing of Antennas (cont.)

Antenna testing recommendations:

Test high power antennas with transmitter power on.
Subject all antenna components to vacuum and
temperature-induced stresses.
Monitor perceptive RF performance parameters, if
practical.
For some designs, shape of reflectors must be
measured.

30
 Unit Testing of Solar Arrays

Solar arrays also experience wide temperature

extremes and rapid rates of temperature change on
orbit.

Typical life test for a geosynchronous 10-year satellite:

Test conducted on coupon.
1700 cycles.
-175°C to +55°C.

31
 Unit Testing of Solar Arrays (cont.)

DoD requires thermal vacuum at qual/protoqual level. (1)

Thermal vacuum or thermal cycle optional at
acceptance level.

DoD permits thermal vacuum only, but thermal cycle

testing may be beneficial for workmanship screening. (1)
Rapid rate of temperature change subjects the
material, honeycomb, substrates, films, cells, wiring,
backside paint to temperature induced stresses.

32
 Unit Testing of Batteries

Batteries are extremely temperature sensitive.

At hot temperatures, performance and life can
degrade.
At cold temperatures, electrolytes can freeze,
batteries can explode.

33
 Unit Testing of Batteries (cont.)

Tight temperature control at low temperature often

required.
Typical design uses radiators with heaters or
variable conductance heat pipes.
Analysis uncertainty temperature margin may be
large compared to allowable temperature range.
Equivalent margin achieved with cold-biased
design and oversized heaters or variable
conductance heat pipes.

34
 Unit Testing of Batteries (cont.)

Cell-to-cell temperature gradients must be controlled.

Battery packs often have complex designs with
many thermal interfaces.
Thermal conductances across these interfaces
should be verified during unit level tests.
DoD requires thermal vacuum test at qualification and
acceptance level. (1)
Thermal cycling not required.

35
 Unit Level Thermal Testing Summary
Three tests:
Thermal vacuum
Thermal cycling
Burn-in
Three functions:
Environmental stress screening
Performance verification
Survival and turn-on capability demonstration

Two test levels:

Qualification verifies the design
Acceptance verifies the workmanship and flight-worthiness

Thermal cycling is effective for environmental stress screening.

Thermal vacuum is effective for demonstrating performance and

survival/turn-on capabilities.
36
Development Testing

37
 Development Testing

Also known as engineering tests.

Required to:
Validate new design concepts or the application of
proven concepts to new configurations.
Assist in the evolution of designs from the
conceptual to operational phase.
Reduce risks associated with new flight hardware.
Investigate problems or concerns that arise after
successful qualification.

38
 Development Testing

Objectives:

Identify problems early in the design phase so that

any required actions can be taken prior to starting
formal qualification testing.

Confirm structural and performance margins,

manufacturability, testability, maintainability,
reliability, life expectancy, and compatibility with
system safety.

39
 Development Testing (Cont’d)

Test requirements depend upon subsystem maturity,

operational requirements, and the intent of the test.
Tests should be conducted over a range of
conditions exceeding design limits to identify
marginal capabilities and design “features”.
Common Thermal Development Tests:
Unit/subsystem thermal balance testing.
Deployment mechanism testing.
Heat pipe tests.

40
 Thermal Balance Development Test

Two objectives:
To obtain thermal data for the verification of
analytical thermal models.
To verify the thermal control subsystem and
hardware.

41
 Thermal Balance Development Test (cont.)

Performed in a thermal vacuum chamber on flight or

flight-like equipment.
Individual units
Full spacecraft
Several conditions are simulated:
Hot operational, cold operational, cold non-
operational, and transitions.
Equilibrium temperatures and repeatable heater
cycling data are taken.

42
 Deployment Mechanism Development Test

Deployment mechanisms are critical to mission success.

They are also mounted external to the vehicle where

thermal environments are extreme.

43
 Deployment Mechanism Development Test (cont.)
It is common for deployment tests to be specified for
deployment mechanisms to show operation.
Vacuum conditions
Hot and cold environment
Changing temperature environment

Special fixtures may be needed to support deployed mass

during test in gravity environment.

Concerns:
Differential expansion of materials causing failure to
deploy.
Thermal gradients causing binding.
Material, adhesive or lubricant degradation at extreme
temperatures.
44
 Heat Pipe Development Tests

Development testing contributes to heat pipe

reliability.
Checks for leaks.
Verifies weld integrity.
Demonstrates functional performance.

A primary consideration is that heat pipes must be in a

level orientation for performance verification.
Not always possible at higher levels of assembly.
45
 Typical Heat Pipe Development Test Program
Development Testing
Aliveness Test
In Gravity Characterization Test

Heat Pipe Level Testing

Qualification: Acceptance:
Burst Pressure Test Radiographic Inspection of Welds
(2270 psig, 70C 100 psig increments) Proof Pressure Test (850 psig, 5 minutes)
Helium Leak Test
Functional Performance Test (100 Watts,
60C, 0.12” Tilt, reservoir wick at 7 watts)

Pallet Level Testing

Qualification: Acceptance:
Functional Performance Test Gas Charge Verification
(Including heat pipe performance, heater Full Tube Leak Test
resistance check, and temperature Functional Performance Test
sensor check)
Acoustic Test
Static Load Test
Thermal Vacuum Test
Acoustic Test
Thermal Vacuum Test

46
Subsystem Testing

47
 Subsystem or Payload Testing

Subsystem/payload level testing is performed after unit

level testing but before spacecraft level testing.

The objective is to satisfy spacecraft level requirements

in a configuration or environment dedicated to the
subsystem under test.

48
 Subsystem or Payload Testing (cont.)

Advantages of testing at payload or subsystem level include:

Test can be accomplished in a smaller chamber.
Environment can be tailored to the subsystem only.
No interference from adjacent subsystems.
Boundary conditions are well understood.
Easier to obtain data for model correlation.
Easier to isolate problems.
Instrumentation can be significantly more thorough than at
spacecraft level.
Can reduce overall program costs because problems are
resolved without impacting the schedule critical path.
49
 Test Requirements for Electronic Subsystems

Temperature range:

Acceptance, Protoflight and Qualification temperature

ranges are the same as applied at unit level.

Actual subsystem temperature cycle range is limited by

units within the subsystem that reach their allowable
limits first.

50
 Test Requirements for Electronic Subsystems (cont.)

Number of cycles, transitions, and dwell duration: (1,3)

Organization Test Number of cycles Dwell at plateaus Transition rate
(hours) (°C/min)
GSFC Acceptance 4 12 with two hot and 2
cold starts
Protoflight “ “
Qualification “ “

JPL Acceptance 3 to 10 Total of 60 hot and 8 ≤5

cold operating,
6 hot and 6 cold non-
operating
Protoflight “ Total of 72 hot and 24 “
cold operating,
6 hot and 6 cold non-
operating
Qualification “ “

DoD Acceptance 4 8 first and last cycle, Max expected flight

4 on other cycles
Protoflight “ “ “
Qualification 8 “ “

51
 Subsystem Test Example – MILSTAR EHF Antenna
Spot Beam Antennas (2) Crosslink Antenna
EHF Test Issues

• Close proximity to other payloads

• Performance requirements
could not be verified
• EHF heater lamps would
interfere with other payloads
• Heat pipes are not level
• Variable conductance heat
pipes are vertical
• No flight-like demonstration
Photo courtesy of US Air Force
EHF Antenna of heat pipe performance
UHF Antenna SHF Antenna
Spot Beam Antenna • Limited instrumentation
Fibrous Refractory • Thermal model correlation
Composite Insulation would be difficult
Tile • Visibility to thermal behavior
Radiator difficult
MLI Blanket • Limited functional testing
Constant Conductance
Heat Pipe (X-Y Plane)

Variable Conductance
EHF Antenna Heat Pipes (Y-Z Plane)
52
 EHF Subsystem-Level Test Issue Solution

Constant Conductance
Heat Pipe

High Thermal
Conductance Bracket
(Test Only)
Radiator Panel

Variable Conductance
Heat Pipes
53
 EHF Subsystem-Level Thermal Test Hardware
Liquid Nitrogen Cold /
Heater Plates

Test-only MLI over

Panel Opening
Test-only MLI over
Variable Conductance
Heat Pipes

Liquid Nitrogen Cold /

Heater Plates

54
 Concluding Remarks for Part 2

Principal test at unit level is temperature cycling in air or

vacuum.
Margins are applied to expected flight temperatures to
establish acceptance and qualification test ranges.
Development and subsystem tests reduce program risk
by identifying problems earlier.
Government agencies have minimum temperature range,
number of cycles, and total test time requirements.

55
Conclusion of Part 2

56