Flexible Thermal Links

Related Information

• Thermal Links printable brochure
• GIFTS - spacedynamics.org
• James Webb Space Telescope - nasa.gov

Sales Information

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Flexible Thermal Links provide a more thermally efficient heat path while minimizing any mechanical interaction. The solderless thermal link technology enables an extremely effective thermal connection while maintaining a high degree of mechanical flexibility and adaptability to new design parameters. Using a solderless process of attachment essentially avoids any contact resistance between the surfaces. The solderless thermal link design also:

• Allows more flexibility
• Minimizes weight
• Conducts heat with minimal temperature loss
• Protects fragile cryo-cooler cold fingers
• Decreases contamination risks

Typical Performance Specifications

• Conductance: 0.01 – 10 W/K
• Stiffness/Flexibility: < 1 N/mm all axes
• Mass: 5g – 10kg
• Material: copper, aluminum, etc.
• Type: foil or braid
• Transfer Lengths: 2mm – 2m

Heritage

SDL flexible thermal links attaching focal plane assembly to cryo-coolers on the GIFTS Instrument.

SDL has a long tradition of designing, building, and launching space-deployed infrared instruments. As small cryogenic refrigerators became available, a thermal link was needed to transfer heat from optical components maintained at cryogenic temperatures to the mechanically-fragile cold finger of a miniature pulse-tube cooler. This application required an extremely high thermal conductance link to minimize the temperature drop between heat source and heat sink, and a small mass to minimize inertial loads on the fragile pulse tube during launch. In addition, the link had to be flexible enough to minimize transmission of motion from the motor-driven refrigerator to the motion-sensitive optical component. Available thermal links that provided the required conductance were much too massive and stiff.

A concerted effort by SDL engineers, together with faculty and students in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at USU, led to a new thermal link technology. SDL thermal links have now been deployed on a number of spaceflight programs involving leading aerospace firms, and have been selected for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope program.

The versatile SDL flexible link is adaptable to the most challenging design constraints and may be custom-built to exact specifications in a wide variety of materials, sizes and configurations. TMT/SDL also provides thermal and dynamic testing and certification of customized links at any desired temperature range.