Research on Temperature Field for Spacial Solar Array

The solar array which provides most of energy for the satellite plays a very important role. And the conversion coefficient of solar cell used in the solar array is directly influenced by the array temperature, which is also responsibility for the stability and safety of satellite, especially for the solar array. This paper discusses the solar array temperature fields under different situations, including the periods of the satellite operating in spring, summer and winter. Obtaining the incidence angle of the solar array in the three periods, the radiative heat flux is computed by Monte Carlo method (MCM) and the finite volume method (FVM) is employed to win the temperature field, with the harmonic mean value being used for the heat transfer at interface between different materials. The results show that, the temperature fields of the solar array are quite different for various seasons, and the highest temperature of the array is 308 K in spring, the lowest temperature is 225 K in summer, which is caused by the shadow of the earth.