Design and Performance Test of a Cryogenic Blower for Space Thermal Environment Simulation

Thermal vacuum test should be performed prior to launch to verify satellites' functionality in a harsh space environment which is represented by extremely cold temperatures and vacuum conditions. A thermal vacuum chamber which consists of a vacuum vessel, a pumping system, and a thermal control system are used to perform thermal vacuum tests of a satellite system and its components. A cryogenic blower is a core component of the closed loop thermal control system for thermal vacuum chambers. This paper describes the fan design of the cryogenic blower, the design of the thermal protection interface between the driving part and the fluid part, which were verified by thermal and structural analyses. The performance of the cryogenic blower is confirmed by similarity test on the test bench