Ensuring the operating temperature regime of optoelectronic (EO) components, such as detectors and emitters, is paramount for the accurate performance of any instrument comprised of, or relies on, those devices. The semiconductors’ band gaps enable the photoelectric conversion to dilate as a function of temperature, on the order of magnitude variation per 10°C near 300K. Semiconductor infrared (IR) detectors benefit from compact cooling with thermoelectric coolers (TECs), which rely on the Peltier Effect and an input current direction to force heat flow to/from the device to which they are attached. When coupled with a closed-loop control system, this bi-directional capability can enable temperature stability on the order of 0.01°C of the regulated device. Heat sinks and thermally conductive adhesives are required to facilitate the TEC to source and sink heat with the environment. In aerospace applications, it is necessary to design a compact cooling fin architecture that maximizes heat transfer capabilities within a given envelope of system size, weight, and power (SWaP) limitations. These design envelopes persist where an operating environment requires atypical radiation and convection heat transfer consideration. This paper compares two different wire mesh models and assesses their ability to assist in a TEC’s ability to cool an IR detector. Commercial finite element software, Siemens NX, and Simcenter Thermal are used to explore how two different meshes perform in steady-state operating conditions comparing reduced convection coefficients attributable to microgravity and radiative heat dissipation.
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