The Multiphase Heat Switch is a new type of thermal control device applied to satellites to keep the temperature of the electronic equipment within operational limits.

The registration of the new patent, requested by the National Institute for Space Research, Brazil, was granted in 2020, and the prototype is authored by researchers Issamu Muraoka, Valeri Vlassov and Valery Kiseev. The search for priorities in the process of obtaining a patent was done at an international level.

How it works

The solution is usually associated with a radiator, which is a cold plate positioned on the outer face of the satellite. The ideal condition is that the equipment is coupled to the radiator when in operation (high heat generation) and decoupled when in standby (without heat generation). In addition, a thermal capacitor would help to reduce temperature fluctuations.

Brazilian technology

A source of pride for the research of space devices in the country, the prototype of the Multiphase Heat Switch was totally manufactured with Brazilian technology.

According to the National Institute for Space Research, Brazil, the experimental studies were presented for the first time in 2009 at a conference held in Moscow, and since then the researchers have presented evolutions of the prototype. 

The researchers performed functional and performance tests.  All tests confirmed the expected results of the space device in three modes of operation: flat heat pipe, heat switch and thermal capacitor.