Thermal protection of vehicle payloads using phase change materials and liquid cooling

Ground combat vehicles may contain sensitive computational and communication equipment which produce heat that must be dissipated from the interior compartment. A need exists to introduce a cooling system to remove payload heat that offers acceptable performance and design packaging for harsh operating environments. This paper introduces a coolant rail augmented with phase change material heat sinks to isolate the payload and occupants from outside air and yet provide efficient, reliable cooling for the electronic equipment. A lumped parameter mathematical model has been developed for the payload area and then analyzed in hot weather climates. Next, a finite control volume analysis was performed to locate hot spots within the cooling system and accurately model the PCM heat sink. Representative numerical results will be presented and discussed to demonstrate the cooling capabilities. The proposed cooling system offers improved thermal conditions at reasonable power consumption levels along with redundancy to accommodate minor component failures.