A scientific instrument scheduled for launch aboard a satellite must be warmed from…

PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Thermal Properties of Matter · Thermal Properties of Matter

Problem

A scientific instrument scheduled for launch aboard a satellite must be warmed from an initial storage temperature of

-40\,^{\circ}\text{C}

to an operational temperature of

10\,^{\circ}\text{C}

before activation. The instrument consists of two major components: • A titanium housing of mass

3.5\,\text{kg}

with a specific heat of

520\,\text{J}\,(\text{kg}\,^{\circ}\text{C})^{-1}

. • A block of specialized electronics of mass

1.2\,\text{kg}

with an effective specific heat of

880\,\text{J}\,(\text{kg}\,^{\circ}\text{C})^{-1}

. The onboard battery pack can supply at most

5.0\times10^{2}\,\text{kJ}

of energy for pre-heating purposes. (a) Calculate the minimum thermal energy required to raise the entire instrument from

-40\,^{\circ}\text{C}

10\,^{\circ}\text{C}

, assuming no energy losses to the space environment. (b) Decide whether the available battery energy is sufficient. If it is not, compute the additional energy that would be needed; if it is, compute the energy margin remaining after the warming process. (c) Propose one engineering modification (other than increasing battery capacity) that could reduce the energy required for the pre-heating phase, and briefly explain its impact on the calculation in part (a).

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