Supply, Installation and Commissioning of a Thermal Vacuum Cycling Chamber

The School of Physics & Astronomy (Space Park Leicester) has secured funding to procure a Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) System to support environmental testing, qualification, and thermal vacuum cycling of components and equipment developed under the projects run by its Space Projects and Instrumentation group and via commercial agreements with third parties (managed by Space Park Leicester). Thermal vacuum (TVAC) chambers require high-vacuum capability (typically ≤ 1×10−5 hPa), wide-range temperature cycling (often -190 °C to +150°C or higher), and precise thermal control (control surface stability in the range ±0.1 °C/min), usually achieved via liquid nitrogen, shrouds and heating platens.

They include contaminant control (e.g. dry pumps), structural reliability to withstand atmospheric pressure, and feedthroughs for power and data to Equipment Under Test (EUT). The System is intended to be installed in an ISO 14644 Class 6 cleanroom at Space Park Leicester.