CriticalThought
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Before we come to your questions, let us first review available information on how liquid cooling is achieved historically
Active Electronically Steered Arrays - A Maturing Technology (ausairpower.net)
Also, take a look at the characteristics of Polyalphaolefin:
POLYALPHAOLEFIN, CONTAINS (FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS, N.O.S.) | CAMEO Chemicals | NOAA
With this in mind:
We are not saying this is simple softer material. By 'soft' we mean it is flexible and can undergo tearing by scraping against metal edges. We are also hypothesizing that a commercial solution offers this tubing, which also makes sense - the commercial solution wouldn't want to offer one single rigid metal tubing that cannot fit into arbitrary airframes.
We don't know where this coolant is housed and what material that uses.
The AESA radar consists of TRMs attached to some kind of mechanical support which is encased within a housing. If you read above, there are channels that could be etched on the mechanical support, or within the TRMs themselves. We aren't flooding the metallic housing with fluid.
I don't understand the question.
The picture is showing a commercial solution in a product brochure. This is similar to the side-cut examples of LKF601E that we have seen from China.
The quandary can be resolved by understanding the commercial solution and how it is used in the final aircraft.
Possibly. It remains prone to tearing, which could be fatal.
Possibly. But it looks quite a solid metallic pipe.
Active Electronically Steered Arrays - A Maturing Technology (ausairpower.net)
US designs employ a polyalphaolefin (PAO) coolant similar to a synthetic hydraulic fluid. A typical liquid cooling system will use pumps to drive the coolant through channels in the antenna, and then route it to a heat exchanger. That might be an air cooled core (radiator style) or an immersed heat exchanger in a fuel tank - with a second liquid cooling loop to dump heat from the fuel tank.
Also, take a look at the characteristics of Polyalphaolefin:
POLYALPHAOLEFIN, CONTAINS (FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS, N.O.S.) | CAMEO Chemicals | NOAA
With this in mind:
Just few of observations/curious questions:
- Simple softer material becomes harder and more prone to leaks incase of hot/cold liquid runs through (if I am not wrong and am willing to be corrected for benefit of my knowledge).
We are not saying this is simple softer material. By 'soft' we mean it is flexible and can undergo tearing by scraping against metal edges. We are also hypothesizing that a commercial solution offers this tubing, which also makes sense - the commercial solution wouldn't want to offer one single rigid metal tubing that cannot fit into arbitrary airframes.
2. If coolant could react to metallic tubing then what kind of metallic housing would be storing the coolant in first place?
We don't know where this coolant is housed and what material that uses.
3. In-fact the same coolant has to run through metallic equipment for example HEU/HEA or the plate of AESA antenna itself, which is surely not made of softer material so the coolant could react in longer run?
The AESA radar consists of TRMs attached to some kind of mechanical support which is encased within a housing. If you read above, there are channels that could be etched on the mechanical support, or within the TRMs themselves. We aren't flooding the metallic housing with fluid.
4. Metal Vs Tubing? I am confused because a tube can be made of Metal or Softer Material so please explain as I am unable to understand.
I don't understand the question.
5. From the same post, it shows softer looking tubes going straight into AESA antenna plate. I don't see any metallic tubing or am I missing so please, point to it if you may. Mind you, they wouldn't just play novice while installing softer material tube for F-16.
View attachment 776933
The picture is showing a commercial solution in a product brochure. This is similar to the side-cut examples of LKF601E that we have seen from China.
6. So on JF-17 Thunder, either it is simply a metallic tube for the coolant or if the coolant as such has to flow through softer looking material tube like F-16 then it is most probably something else that I don't know.
The quandary can be resolved by understanding the commercial solution and how it is used in the final aircraft.
7. The tube we are looking in above picture (For F-16s) is most probably braided hose for high performance and reliable for heat dissipation & better flow.
View attachment 776934
Possibly. It remains prone to tearing, which could be fatal.
8. Or that metallic looking pipe itself is a shiny white breaded hose like the above one. (we don't have a closer lookup for this)
Possibly. But it looks quite a solid metallic pipe.