Satellite Thermal Control Pumps

Barber-Nichols engineers, manufactures, and tests thermal control pumps for extended-life missions. Using our turbomachinery heritage, we provide existing pump solutions, pump derivatives, or custom pumps to meet tailored system requirements.

Features

  • Typical mission life of 15 years, continuous
  • Active thermal management via PD and centrifugal pumps
  • Variety of working fluids: Ammonia, DI Water, EGW, Novec HFE 7200, PGW, Therminol D-12, and others
  • Working fluid material compatibility assurance
  • Hermetic design
  • Permanent Magnet (PM) or Induction Motor Motor cooling via working fluid secondary flow
  • Motor temperature monitoring (optional)
  • Motor position sensing (optional)
  • Power dense, high-efficiency design
  • Start/stop capable
  • Existing pump designs, pump derivatives, or custom pumps
  • Clean room assembly

Heritage

  • Flight-qualified pump in MEO satellite application (TRL-9)
  • Flight-qualified for LEO and terrestrial (TRL-6)

Typical Acceptance Test Criteria

  • Multiple Thermal Cycle Tests (ambient, low, & high)
    • Flow and power at design points
      • Full performance map
    • Flow rate operating range & system fluid resistance at design points
  • Vibration Test
  • Commutation Test
  • Non-operating Tests
    • External leakage at MEOP
    • Winding insulation resistance test
    • Thermistor functional test
    • Connector receptacle termination resistance test
    • Conductive material grounding test