Simulation of Radiation Flux from Thermal Fluid in Origami Tubes

• Main Author: Bebeau, Robert R.
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholar Commons 2018
• Subjects: Cavity Effect; Computational Fluid Dynamics; Heat Transfer; Spacecraft; Thermal Management; Aerospace Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Other Education
• Online Access: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7666; https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8863&context=etd

Spacecraft in orbit experience temperature swings close to 240 K as the craft passes from the shadow of the Earth into direct sunlight. To regulate the craft’s internal energy, large radiators eject unwanted energy into space using radiation transfer. The amount of radiation emitted is directly related to the topology of the radiator design. Deformable structures such as those made with origami tessellation patterns offer a mechanism to control the quantity of energy being emitted by varying the radiator shape. Three such patterns, the Waterbomb, Huffman Waterbomb, and Huffman Stars-Triangles, can be folded into tubes. Origami tubes offer greater control and simplicity of design than flat radiators. Using FLUENT, Origami Simulator, and Solidworks to first simulate and then analyze the flow of a thermal fluid through the patterns and the radiation emitted from the created bodies, it was determined that the Waterbomb pattern achieved a 17.6 percent difference in emitted radiation, over a 2 percent change in fold. The Huffman Waterbomb pattern displayed a 42.7 percent difference in emitted radiation over a 20 percent change of fold. The simulations demonstrated both the feasibility and benefits of the origami designed tubes.