Effect of Temperature on Electromagnetic Performance of Active Phased Array Antenna

Abstract

Active phased array antennas (APAAs) can suffer from the effects of harsh thermal environments, which are caused by the large quantity of power generated by densely packed T/R modules and external thermal impacts. The situation may be worse in the case of limited room and severe thermal loads, due to heat radiation and a low temperature sink. The temperature field of the antenna can be changed. Since large numbers of temperature-sensitive electronic components exist in T/R modules, excitation current output can be significantly affected and the electromagnetic performance of APAAs can be seriously degraded. However, due to a lack of quantitative analysis, it is difficult to directly estimate the effect of temperature on the electromagnetic performance of APAAs. Therefore, this study investigated the electromagnetic performance of APAAs as affected by two key factors—the uniformly distributed temperature field and the temperature gradient field—based on different antenna shapes and sizes, to provide theoretical guidance for their thermal design.

Cooling performance evaluation of impingement jet cooling passage on solid-state power amplifier in RF system

“…This study calculated the impinging jet flow and convective heat transfer based on the governing equations, such as the continuity equation, momentum equation, and energy equation which are presented below Eq [ 2 ] - [ 4 ]; …”

“…However, the temperature and cooling problem within the X-band radar is becoming an issue due to the increasing number of high power T/R modules and semiconductor integration to ensure the operations of the radar during military action. The radar output power varies greatly depending on the T/R module temperature, and when the temperature is 80 °C or higher, the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar output power drops sharply [ 4 ]. To prevent temperature rise in the T/R module, its devices generating a large output power are made of materials with high thermal conductivity for heat dissipation or cooling channels are installed inside/outside the T/R module [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Thermal Deformation Modeling for Phased Array Antenna Compensation Control

“…The emission direction of the electromagnetic wave depends on the phase differences of all T/R modules [ 1 ]. The power of each T/R module is in the KW level [ 2 ], so, the T/R module generates a lot of heat. Therefore, the panel of the PAA has a sizeable thermal deformation.…”

“…Wang [ 5 ] found that thermal deformation causes the gain of the main lobe to decay. Wang et al [ 2 ] and Wang et al [ 6 ] established a coupled structural–electromagnetic–thermal model by the finite element method (FEM), which provides some theoretical guidances for the structure design of the phased array antenna. H. Ren [ 7 ], Han et al [ 8 ], and Zhang et al [ 9 ] optimized and simulated the heat dissipation system of a phased array radar.…”

Electromechanical Coupling Parameter Identification for Flexible Conductor Wire Interconnection Considering Interaction Effect in Microwave Circuits

“…At the same time, the interconnection configuration will be forced to deform under the influence of the envi-ronmental stress load, which will further affect the electrical signal transmission. The superposition of the two parts can cause the failure of the electrical transmission function of the module in some extreme cases [4,5]. On the other hand, mechanical reliability problems in the process of design, manufacture and operation of the microwave circuit interconnection can directly cause circuit function failure [6].…”