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US 11,605,929 B2Granted
Thermal management system for directed energy weapon system
AssigneeRocky Research
InventorsUwe Rockenfeller, Kaveh Khalili
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed are systems and methods of heating and cooling a laser system by providing a vapor compression system having a plurality of compressors. A control system controls the activity of each compressor and activates and manages the speed of each compressor to efficiently provide cooling and heating of the laser system.
Claims32
A directed energy weapon platform, comprising:
- a laser system including one or more components configured to generate heat during a firing event of the laser system;
- one or more hotel loads;
- a cooling loop configured to provide cooling to the one or more components and the one or more hotel loads;
- a vapor compression system comprising at least a first compressor and a second compressor configured to compress a refrigerant to cool the cooling loop as the cooling loop provides cooling to at least one of the one or more components or the one or more hotel loads;
- and
- a control system configured to:
- cause operation of the first compressor to cause the cooling loop to provide cooling to at least the one or more hotel loads,
- detect a signal indicative of the firing event of the laser system or an expected firing event of the laser system, and
- in response to detecting the signal, at least one of increase a speed of the first compressor or start the second compressor to increase the cooling provided by the cooling loop to at least the one or more components.
6 more elements
A method of operating a laser weapon system, comprising:
- operating, by a control system, a first compressor of a vapor compression system to compress a refrigerant to cool a cooling loop providing cooling to at least one or more hotel loads of a laser system, wherein the laser system includes one or more components configured to generate heat during a firing event of the laser system, and wherein the cooling loop is configured to provide cooling to the one or more components;
- detecting, using the control system, a signal indicative of a firing event of the laser system or an expected firing event of the laser system;
- and
- increasing, in response to detecting the signal, and using the control system, cooling provided to the one or more components by at least one of:
- increasing a speed of the first compressor compressing the refrigerant, or
- starting a second compressor of the vapor compression system, wherein the second compressor is configured to compress the refrigerant.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.