Geoffrey Wehmeyer
William Marsh Rice University
Improved passive heat switch technologies would allow thermal engineers to maintain vital spacecraft components at their operating temperatures without consuming onboard power. The proposed passive magnetic heat switch will utilize temperature-dependent magnetic forces to bring thin-film permanent magnets in and out of physical contact, leading to large changes in the thermal conductance with compact switch geometries. The ultimate goal of this research is to demonstrate the thermal capabilities of high-performance magnetic heat switches, in order to enable future advances in spacecraft thermal control systems.