In this paper, the design and validation of a heat storage device based on phase change materials are presented, with the focus on improving the thermal control of micro-satellites. The main objective of the development is to provide a system that is able to keep electronics within safe temperature ranges during the operation of manoeuvres, while reducing mass and volume in comparison to other thermal control techniques. Due to the low thermal conductivity of phase change materials, the conductivity of the device as a whole is one of the major challenges of the development. This issue has been solved by means of the use of a lattice of aluminium fins. The thermal behaviour of the proposed solution is assessed with numerical simulation tools, and the results prove that the developed phase change material-based thermal control technique is able to provide the suitable integrated thermal management of micro-satellites. Fabrication challenges found in the project are also explained. Numerical results are validated through a testing stage. The predicted temperature profiles are in good agreement with experimental data and inside the range foreseen for the heat storage device.

This paper presents the adjustment process of a simulation model to improve the correlation between simulation results and parts industrially manufactured. It includes the data registration at foundry plant, the preliminary set-up of the model and the later adjustment process to reach a correlation level according to the industrial necessities.The adjustment has been performed by means of inverse modelling. This technique uses thermal histories experimentally registered as base, and modifies the material properties and boundary conditions used in simulation until reaching a good correlation between numerical simulated cooling curves and they registered experimentally. The adjustment has been also focused on the shrinkage defects.The simulation model is a FEM model developed in commercial software specifically focused on metal casting simulation.The case of study is an investment casting process, vacuum poured, of a nickel base superalloy designated Hastelloy X. Usual in the manufacture of components for aeronautical turbines

In addition to the typical difficulties associated with the numerical simulation of metal casting processes, the special characteristics of the high pressure die casting (HPDC) increase the difficulty of obtaining reliable results.The process followed to define and adjust one HPDC simulation model against experimental measurements by means of inverse modelling, is presented together with information related with the test campaign. This knowledge may be of interest for other researchers interested in the HPDC simulation and/or in the simulation models adjustment.The case of study corresponds to the specific case of one variation of the alloy AlSi9Cu3 (in-house developed) and one variation of the H13 steel (in-house developed), used for the mold manufacturing. The simulation models include the mold thermal evolution during the consecutive cycles of the manufacturing process, together with the cavity filling and the later cooling of the alloy