LIBERTY LAKE, Wash.,
Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- SprayCool(R), a recognized
leader in the development of advanced thermal management and environmental
isolation products for the military, announced today that one of its
electronics enclosures successfully completed its flight test program in
brown-out conditions as part of Sierra Nevada Corporation's Helicopter
Autonomous Landing System (HALS). The SprayCool liquid-cooled enclosure,
mounted on the front of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, is used as the closed
loop thermal management system to isolate critical digital and RF electronics
used in SNC's 3-dimensional (3D) imaging radar. The most recent flight
testing at the Army's Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG) achieved a major milestone in
the program. This testing was different than previous testing conducted at
Ft. Eustis because it marked the first time the radar was flown in brownout
conditions, where the UH-60 successfully negotiated takeoffs, landings, and
en-route travel using the system. The HALS system provided the UH-60 pilots
with continuous 3D real-time radar imagery of the landing zone throughout the
approach, hover and landing in complete brownout.
SNC's 94 GHz HALS radar imaging system is the critical technology that
enables pilots to "see through" brownout conditions. A critical component of
the HALS design is the SprayCool Multi-Platform Enclosure (MPE) which enables
the electronics to be located near the radar currently mounted on the front of
the Black Hawk. Reliable operation of commercial grade electronics in such
extreme dirty, sandy, and hot environments, which are so synonymous with
rotorcraft, make SprayCool enclosures uniquely suitable for this application.
"The use of SprayCool enclosures allowed our technical team to select
electronics that would normally not be possible in these harsh environments,"
said Greg Cox, VP GM for SNC's CNS/ATM Division. "This allowed us to use less
expensive cards and power supplies in the design."
The initial flight tests of HALS were conducted at Ft. Eustis to verify
system performance. Subsequently, flight tests were recently conducted at
Army's Yuma Proving Grounds utilizing an obstacle field surrounded by a graded
field of fine powder-like dirt that closely replicates the levels of brownout
experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The HALS program is an Army Utility Helicopter Project Office sponsored
program focused on reducing the risks of operating helicopters in degraded
visual environment conditions such as brownout, whiteout and fog. Sikorsky
manages the program as the prime contractor while SNC is responsible to
develop and demonstrate the HALS system. "SprayCool has been working with SNC
for over two years as one of their major subcontractors on both current and
predecessor HALS systems," said Matt Gerber, President and CEO of SprayCool.
"Our unique ability to deploy commercial grade electronics and isolate them
from harsh environments has also enabled us to expand into other SNC
programs," he added.
SprayCool Technology
SprayCool patented two-phase liquid cooling technology (see video) uses a
fine mist of non-corrosive, non-conductive liquid, sprayed in a thin layer,
which evaporates and cools electronics. The process continuously cycles
within a sealed, closed loop system. In doing so, SprayCool products isolate
the electronics from dirty, corrosive environments found in military and
industrial applications resulting in cooler, higher performance, and more
durable electronic devices. The technology provides an efficiently controlled
and isolated environment for a broad mix of electronics in a package that is
significantly smaller, lighter, and more power and cost efficient, and faster
to deploy by the integrator.
About SprayCool
SprayCool (also known as Isothermal Systems Research, Inc.) is a global
leader in the development of next-generation electronics thermal management
and environmental isolation enclosure products for DOD and industrial
computing applications, using its patented two-phase liquid cooling
technology. SprayCool works with today's leading integrators to meet the
military's most demanding requirements, and is gaining wide acceptance on a
number of key SIGINT and EW programs. Founded in 1988, SprayCool is a
privately held corporation headquartered in Liberty Lake, WA. For more
information, please visit www.spraycool.com.
Press Contact:
Marie Hartis, Director of Communications 509.241.4518
mhartis@spraycool.com
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