Advances in thermal control and performance of the MMT M1 mirror

Computer Science – Performance

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

Strategies for thermal control of the 6.5-meter diameter borosilicate honeycomb primary (M1) mirror at the MMT Observatory have included: 1) direct control of ventilation system chiller setpoints by the telescope operator, 2) semiautomated control of chiller setpoints, using a fixed offset from the ambient temperature, and 3) most recently, an automated temperature controller for conditioned air. Details of this automated controller, including the integration of multiple chillers, heat exchangers, and temperature/dew point sensors, are presented here. Constraints and sanity checks for thermal control are also discussed, including: 1) mirror and hardware safety, 2) aluminum coating preservation, and 3) optimization of M1 thermal conditions for science acquisition by minimizing both air-to-glass temperature differences, which cause mirror seeing, and internal glass temperature gradients, which cause wavefront errors. Consideration is given to special operating conditions, such as high dew and frost points. Precise temperature control of conditioned ventilation air as delivered to the M1 mirror cell is also discussed. The performance of the new automated controller is assessed and compared to previous control strategies. Finally, suggestions are made for further refinement of the M1 mirror thermal control system and related algorithms.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Advances in thermal control and performance of the MMT M1 mirror does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Advances in thermal control and performance of the MMT M1 mirror, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Advances in thermal control and performance of the MMT M1 mirror will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1377332

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.