L2-TCS-INTF
ESSENTIAL
THERMAL
Level 2 · hardware
Thermal Interface Hardware
Thermal Interface Hardware and Contact Conductance System
Cold plates, heat exchangers, and thermal straps connecting heat sources to transport loops
Purpose
Provide efficient thermal coupling between heat-generating equipment and thermal control fluid loops
Context
Component of L1-TCS within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Thermal interface materials (TIM) minimize contact resistance between mating surfaces
- ▸Thermal straps provide flexible conductive paths between components and cold plates
- ▸Heat spreaders distribute concentrated heat sources over larger areas
- ▸Thermal gaskets and gap fillers accommodate manufacturing tolerances
Typical implementations
- ▸Indium foil thermal interface (heritage spacecraft thermal management)
- ▸Pyrolytic graphite sheet (PGS) heat spreaders for electronics
- ▸Flexible copper-beryllium thermal straps (custom aerospace)
- ▸Phase change thermal interface materials (Bergquist, Laird)
Lunar considerations
- ▸Thermal cycling causes relative motion at interfaces degrading contact quality
- ▸Dust contamination of thermal interfaces during maintenance reduces conductance
- ▸Must maintain consistent thermal performance over decades between maintenance windows
- ▸Different thermal interface solutions for different temperature ranges (-196C to +127C)
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Provide efficient thermal coupling between heat-generating equipment and thermal control fluid loops |
Operational
| thermal range c | -173, 127 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Thermal coupling between equipment and thermal control system
Requires
- Replacement thermal interface materials
Decomposes into
L3-TCS-INTF-TIM
Thermal Interface Materials
Materials filling gaps between mating surfaces to minimize thermal contact resistance
L3-TCS-INTF-STRAP
Thermal Straps
Flexible conductive straps providing thermal paths between components and cold plates
L3-TCS-INTF-SPREAD
Heat Spreaders
High-conductivity plates spreading concentrated heat sources over larger areas
L3-TCS-INTF-GAP
Thermal Gap Fillers
Compliant pads filling variable gaps between equipment and thermal mounting surfaces
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Thermal Interface Hardware" (L2-TCS-INTF). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L2-TCS-INTF
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.