RADIATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTS IN THERMAL VACUUM CHAMBERS FOR

SPACE SYSTEMS
Manuel Añón-Cancela (1), Daniel Hernández-Gómez (2), Mercedes Vázquez-Pascual(4), Daniel López-Sanz (4)

National Institute for Space and Technology (INTA) Ctra. de Ajalvir km. 4 28850TORREJÓN DE ARDOZ(Spain)
Email: agnoncm@inta.es(1), hernandezgd@inta.es(2), vazquezpm@inta.es(3), lopezsd@inta.es(4)

ABSTRACT (equipment manufacturers and system integrators) the

possibility to perform RS test in thermal vacuum
INTA EMC Area has a wide experience in
condition using a TVC as a MTC.
performing Radiated Susceptibility (RS) tests
In addition, a thermal test was carried out to a
according to civilian, military and aeronautical
commercial horn antenna in order to check the S11
standards in Mode Tuned Chambers (MTC) for
scattering parameter change with respect to the
national and international projects; besides, INTA temperature, as it would be happened during an EMC
has two Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVC) facilities test under a thermal cycling.
in service for Space Systems tests. In order to
perform RS tests to Space Systems in a more
realistic environment, INTA EMC Area has
stablished an internal research program to develop a
procedure to perform this kind of tests inside a TVC
as a Mode Tuned Chamber (MTC). In this paper the
results of the TVC-04 validation measurements as a
MTC are presented.

1. INTRODUCTION
During an environmental qualification test campaign for
a space equipment/system, some equipment require to
be under their intended environmental conditions to be
able operate properly. These environmental conditions
are achieved when installed in a thermal vacuum
chamber under the required thermal profile. One of the Figure 1. INTA TVC-04 facility layout
tests that require a complete functional test is the EMC
(Electro Magnetic Compatibility) test, so it would be of 2. TVC-04 VALIDATION AS MTC
interest or even mandatory some times to be able The TVC-04 validation was performed under the
perform that test while the equipment is under their following premises:
operational environmental conditions. At INTA
 In order to be conservative and to comply with
(Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial)
[1], [2], [3] and [4] the LUF (Lowest Usable
Environmental Test Area there are several TVC
Frequency) was considered to be fs=200MHz,
(Thermal Vacuum Chamber) in service, being of
in this way we ensure that more than 100
interest of this research two of them, with the following
modes are transmitted inside the cavity.
dimensions:
 The validation criteria followed is the one
 TVC-01: L1300xW1500xH1300
defined in [1].
(+160ºC/-175ºC, vacuum < 10-5mbars)
 As the TVC-04 has not any tuner fitted inside,
 TVC-04: L4000xW4000xH4000
the chamber was validated as a MTC according
(+150ºC/-190ºC, vacuum < 10-5mbars) see
the procedure defined by [3].
Fig. 1
 According to the TVC-04 dimensions, the
Besides, in the EMC Area there are one MTC (Mode
internal volume of 111.58m3 was considered
Tuned Chamber) and one SMTC (Small Mode Tuned
(an hexahedron of dimensions W5000mm x
Chamber) with the following dimensions:
L5000mm x H2500mm plus a semi cylinder on
 MTC: H4720xL7520xW5600 with two
top of it with the following dimensions
stirrers (100MHz-40GHz)
h=5000mm and r=2500mm).
 SMTC: H1840xL4160xW1920 with a single
 During the chamber verification, the E field
stirrer (400MHz-40GHz)
probes were placed 50cm approximately from
As we have the knowledge to perform thermal vacuum
the chamber shroud (gas nitrogen circuit), this
tests and RS test to space equipment and systems, INTA
means that the test volume of 3m x 3m x 3m
has decided to combine them and to offer to the industry

_____________________________________
Proc. ‘2016 ESA Workshop on Aerospace EMC’,
Valencia, Spain, 23–25 May 2016 (ESA SP-738, May 2016)
 can be considered.
 Frequency step: 15 frequencies log spaced
from 1 to 2GHz and 80/decade from 2 to
18GHz. According to criteria stated in [1] 13
frequencies would be needed from 1 to 2GHz
(i.e. 10fs) and 20 frequencies/decade from 2 to
18GHz.
 The validation was performed at 22ºC ±2ºC
and not under vacuum conditions.
The antennas and E-field probes set up inside the TVC-
04 are shown see in Fig. 2.
2.1. Validation Results
After the validation campaign, the results are the
following:
 Fig. 3 shows the standard deviation.
 Fig. 4 shows the Q factor
 Fig. 5 shows the relationship between the E-
field inside the chamber and the forward RF
power.
Figure 2. Antennas and E-field probes set up
2.2. Validation Results Analysis
In this case, applying clause stated in TABLE B.2 from
[1] which allows a maximum of three
frequencies/octave exceeding the standard deviation
limit less than 1dB, from Fig. 3 our TVC-04 facility
complies with the standard deviation requirement
defined in [1].
From Fig. 4 we can see that the TVC-04 has a cavity
resonant behaviour, i.e. the Q factor climbs up as we go
up in frequency; some valleys appear in the plot due to
TVC-04 apertures. This Q was calculated using criteria
defined in [1] in function of the volume of the chamber,
in this case 111.58m3; in this case, the effective
chamber volume lower than the above value due to
shroud fitted inside, and therefore the Q factor should
be a little bit different.
Figure 3. Standard deviation for empty TVC-04
From Fig. 5 we can see the E field generated inside the
TVC-04 for 1W of RF forward power with the facility
empty. Bearing in mind the E field RS requirements for
special equipment/systems, this facility can be perfectly
suitable for that kind of trials.
Figure 4. Quality factor empty TVC-04
3. ANTENNA HORN THERMAL TEST
As the intention of RS test inside the TVC-04 is to
perform it in conditions of high and low temperature,
the behaviour of the transmitting antennas should be
analysed to ensure that the RS trial itself is being carried
out properly. The main feature for an antenna fitted into
a MTC is their S11 scattering parameter or RL (Return
Losses), in this case a commercial horn antenna was
used to measure the aforementioned parameter inside a
thermal chamber with respect to the internal chamber
temperature.
For this test, the temperature was first raised from 20ºC
to 100ºC, then decreased to -40ºC and finally back
ambient temperature (20ºC). The RL was measured
every 5ºC approximately and Fig. 6 shows the
maximum and minimum RL measured during this
process. Bear in mind that the thermal chamber walls
are metallic, see Fig. 7, and the antenna RL figures
measured inside of it are poorer that the ones measured
in free space mainly at lower frequencies.
Figure 5. Ratio of the internal E field generated inside
the TVC-4 and the square root of the forward RF power
according to IEC 61000-4-21 for TVC-04
Figure 6. Commercial horn antenna RL measurements
from -40ºC to 100ºC
The general impression for the results of this test, is that
the RL figures seem not to be worst at different
temperatures from ambient temperature (20ºC), even are
improved for some frequencies.
Not vacuum conditions were applied for this test.
4. CONCLUSIONS
After the TVC-04 validation process, we conclude the
following:
 the facility is suitable to perform RS test
between 1 an 18GHz (it is a compromise to
cover most spacecraft on board transmitters
while allowing the use of medium size
chambers and the feasibility of using a single
horn antenna from 1 to 18GHz)
 not an internal tuner is needed following the
validation procedure described in [3]
 not special antennas are needed to carry out
these kind of trials, standard commercial ones
can be perfectly suitable
Therefore, our facility is available to the industry to
carry out RS trials to space systems in vacuum
conditions at different temperatures.
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work has been partially funded by the EURAMET
IND60 EMC research project (the EMRP is jointly
funded by the EMRP participating countries within
EURAMET and the European Union) and by the
Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
(MINECO) under project UAVEMI (TEC2013- 48414-
C3-2-R).
Figure 7. Commercial horn antenna RL measurements
test set-up from -40ºC to 100ºC inside the INTA thermal
chamber C-002
6. REFERENCES
1. IEC61000-4-21 “Electromagnetic compatibility
(EMC) –Part 4-21: Testing and measurement
techniques – Reverberation chamber test methods”
Edition 2.0 2011-01.
2. Crawford, M.L. & Koepke, G.H.. “Design,
Evaluation and Use of a Reverberation Chamber
for Performing Electromagnetic
Susceptibility/Vulnerability Measurements”. NBS
TECHNICAL NOTE 1092, April 1986.
3. Añón-Cancela, Manuel et al. “A Different Tuner for
a Mode Tuned/Stirred Chamber. The Daisy
 Antenna”. In preparation, not yet published, 2016.

3. MIL-STD-461G Draft “REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE CONTROL OF ELECTROMAGNETIC
INTERFERENCE CHARACTERISTICS OF
SUBSYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT” 2 March
2015.

4. RTCA/DO-160G “ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS AND TEST PROCEDURES FOR
AIRBORNE EQUIPMENT. Section 20 Radio
Frequency Susceptibility (Radiated and
Conducted)” 8 December 2010.