LIBERTY LAKE, Wa., 7 July 2009. Liquid-cooled enclosures from SprayCool, developer of advanced thermal management solutions for the Department of Defense (DOD) and industrial customers in Liberty Lake, Wa., were included in the first test flight of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload (ASIP) aboard a Block 30 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
The addition of a Northrop Grumman-developed signals intelligence (SIGINT) sensor is a significant new capability on Global Hawk. SprayCool enables ASIP's critical electronics to be installed in the unpressurized compartments of the Global Hawk UAS.
The completed flight test of an ASIP sensor on the U-2 aircraft verified the application of SprayCool technology in a high-altitude environment, says a company representative. Global Hawk testing further supports the use of this technology on a high-altitude, long-endurance platform.
A series of flight tests are planned over the next few months to validate all aspects of ASIP performance on Global Hawk.
SprayCool won an initial production contract on Global Hawk ASIP chassis in the summer of 2008. SprayCool is also on contract to provide SprayCool chassis for a scaled derivative of the baseline ASIP sensor which will fly on another platform.
"SprayCool technology enables ASIP to use commercial, off-the-shelf electronics alongside very high-end electronic systems in a single sealed enclosure," says Matt Gerber, president and chief executive officer of SprayCool. "Unpressurized operation at high altitude requires a thermal-management solution that supports both heating and cooling of electronics, as well as provides complete environmental isolation. SprayCool's chassis do all that, and more."
SprayCool's patented two-phase liquid cooling technology uses a fine mist of non-corrosive, non-conductive liquid, sprayed in a thin layer, which evaporates and cools electronics.
