Solving the Thermal Challenge in Power-Dense CubeSats with Water Heat Pipes

This paper describes the results of a project researching the application of water heat pipes in CubeSats. Heat pipes are proposed to solve for the increase in CubeSat power density, being one of the main thermal challenges appearing in high-performance missions. Commercial off the shelve water heat pipes have been tested and a proof-of-concept design has been made showing the flexibility of heat pipe integration. Thermal tests reflecting a common hot- and cold case experienced in low-Earth orbit, have been carried out. These tests have proven that the water heat pipe is capable of keeping a single component generating a continuous heat dissipation of 10W, within a reasonable temperature range and successfully start-up from a frozen state before temperature limits are breached. The outcome of this research has shown that water heat pipes can be the thermal solution for high performance CubeSat missions