The in-space thermal engineering sector faces numerous challenges from keeping electronics within a safe operating range to improving heat management in Australian satellites. However, with UTS Tech Lab academic Dr Nick Bennett leading the charge, many of these hurdles are now being addressed
Dr Nick Bennett knows that not everyone shares his enthusiasm for fluctuating environmental climates. What the Scottish-born academic doesn’t understand is why. “Most of the universe [sits at around] -270°C,” he says. “Contrast that with the sun’s core being at 15,000,000°C and you realise that it is quite amazing that humans lead such a charmed existence, despite only being able to tolerate a very small range of temperatures.” An Associate Professor at the UTS School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Dr Bennett says since the Stone Age, humans have been doing what they can to control the physics of heat transfer. Whether through rudimentary Palaeolithic clothing or running heating experiments to test how well thermal management technology deals with heat in the vacuum of space, Dr Bennett’s entire body of work has been informed by his fascination with how humans are so susceptible to hot and cold.
Left-to-right: Dr Mohammad Arqam (UTS), A/Prof Nick Bennett (UTS), Matt Ryall (Mawson Rovers), Laryssa Sueza-Raffa (UTS). Photo: ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs and their applications (Cuava).
At high school in the UK, physics was his favourite subject. But it wasn’t until after completing a physics undergraduate and master’s degree that he realised engineering was where his real passion lay. It was a decade ago when he undertook his first project in this area when his team in the UK helped a Scottish SME improve a product they’d developed based on thermoelectric technology for oil and gas exploration. At the same time, he was tasked with investigating the feasibility of integrating thermoelectric technologies for heating and cooling within cycling equipment with a well-known UK manufacturer, and for integration with sensors for volcanoes in a project with the British Geological Survey.
Driven by the issues of the day, Dr Bennett says he’s not a researcher who sticks dutifully to one area.
I find these projects particularly enjoyable as they provide some of the most difficult challenges but provide a pathway to get research to market or make a real-world impact in a relatively short space of time.
This is something that is helped by being a part of UTS Tech Lab. Not only is there co-location with industry but there is a real culture of building connections with industry, he claims.
Dr Bennett’s most recent work has seen him working alongside industry partner Mawson Rovers on UTS Tech Lab’s Waratah Seed Rideshare mission to control heat and limit cold. The project team have recently received its first round of data from the middle of the satellite, which shows a cyclic temperature rise and fall over a period of about 90 minutes, associated with the satellite’s orbit. “This mirrors the satellite getting hot when exposed to sunlight, but cooling to sub-zero temperatures when in eclipse. The fact that the electronics experience sub-zero temperatures shows that not only is controlling heat important, but also limiting the cold – something our payload is specifically designed to do.” Alongside this, Dr Bennett and his team are also looking at the many potential uses of the phase-change material (PCM) technology developed for space which are expected to be utilised much more widely for applications ranging from passive temperature control in clothing to in-vivo medicine delivery.
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Dr Bennett argues that while he works differently from most academics, the key to a successful academic-industry partnership is ensuring there is a problem to work on that all parties have an interest in solving. “The rest is easy. A key thing as an academic is not to force your solution on the industry partner, but to listen to what their problem is and be honest with yourself and them about whether you have the skills to solve it. Listening is something I think UTS Tech Lab does particularly well. It’s a simple concept really, but still, not many academics approach industry relationships in this way.” He hopes the success of all his Tech Lab projects will mean new doors will be opened for exciting collaborations with industry partners to improve heat management in Australian satellites and in other fields.
There are already so many excellent thermal technologies that exist and are in every home in Australia – some with decades of heritage. However, I believe thermal engineering will play a big role in achieving a sustainable Australia. As a relative newcomer to the country, it is Sydney’s best kept secret that the homes here are freezing in winter. The technology already exists to fix this, but I’m excited to see what other technologies are developed over the coming years.