Thermal Analysis Tools for Design and Test Correlation Imposing Objectives

This paper presents a possible methodology and software developments to run thermal models that automatically look for solutions that fulfil imposed objectives. The software must create cloned models, with varying characteristics, compare the results with the objectives and take decisions about how to modify the input data in order to fulfil the objectives. This type of analysis improves the knowledge of the thermal performances of any space segment, and will help in complex problems in which the design and the performances cannot be easily anticipated and justified. A particular case in which this methodology can be implemented corresponds to the correlation phase of thermal tests.

This methodology has been applied to the satellite design, the coatings selection in active antennas and test correlation.