Thermal Fundamentals for UAVs – Online Short Course 23 March 2027 - 15 April 2027 Online
- From 23 March–15 April 2027 (4 Weeks, 8 Classes, 16 Total Hours)
- Every Tuesday and Thursday at 1–3 p.m. Eastern Time (all sessions will be recorded and available for replay; course notes will be available for download)
- All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course.
OVERVIEW
This intensive 16-hour course introduces the principles and practical implementation of thermal control systems for UAVs. Participants will explore every phase of design—from concept development and analysis to hardware verification and environment testing—using methodologies proven in high-performance aerospace applications.
Through a combination of lectures, case studies, and a guided workshop, attendees will learn how to design, analyze, and validate efficient thermal control systems that meet real-world performance requirements. The course bridges proven aerospace thermal techniques with modern UAV applications, including radar systems and advanced electronics payloads.
Upon completion, participants will be equipped to:
- Apply industry-standard thermal design tools and practices
- Integrate passive and active control elements effectively
- Adapt thermal solutions for air platforms
The course highlights:
- Comprehensive coverage from heat-transfer fundamentals through practical temperature control methods to flight-level validation
- Clarifying Complex Concepts: Simplifying difficult aspects of thermal control, transforming a traditionally complex subject into an accessible, organized discipline
- Real examples drawn from UAVs, radar systems, sensor payloads, and related aerospace applications
- Hands-on experience with testing through development of procedures used to verify and validate thermal designs
- Introduction to thermal control as a structured engineering discipline, focusing on design and implementation based on best practices from the aerospace industry, tailored for participants without extensive background in physics or advanced mathematics
Additionally, the hands-on thermal workshop provides practical experience, reinforcing understanding and fostering long-term retention of thermal control techniques. This workshop bridges theory with application, offering a comprehensive approach to one of the most essential aspects of modern UAV design.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Identify dominant heat-transfer mechanisms in UAV systems and select appropriate thermal management strategies for specific operational environments
- Design passive and active thermal control subsystems based on best industry practices and application examples
- Complete a preliminary thermal design review for a UAV payload, including trade-off analysis and failure mode identification
AUDIENCE
This course is intended for systems and mechanical engineers, project managers, integrated product team members, and students involved with any aspect of UAV thermal system engineering and analysis, especially design and development, test, evaluation, and implementation.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with basic engineering drawings and spreadsheet tools (e.g., Excel). No advanced physics or mathematics background required.
COURSE FEES (Sign-In To Register)
– AIAA Member Price: $945 USD
– AIAA Student Member Price: $495 USD
– Non-Member Price: $1,145 USD
CLASSROOM HOURS / CEUs: 16 classroom hours / 1.6 CEU/PDH
CANCELLATION POLICY: A refund less a $50.00 cancellation fee will be assessed for all cancellations made in writing prior to 5 days before the start of the event. After that time, no refunds will be provided.
CONTACT: Please contact Lisa Le or Customer Service if you have any questions about the course or group discounts (for 5+ participants).
- Section 1: Thermal Control Fundamentals
- Modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection, radiation
- Passive vs. active systems
- Key metrics: temperature, temperature distribution, thermal resistance, heat flux
- Typical thermal challenges in UAV electronics
- UAV avionics cooling, payload thermal isolation
- IR sensor cooling: stabilized electro-optics (e.g., ASELFLIR 300T class)
- Compact sensor payloads: limited heat dissipation
- Section 2: Thermal Management System Design Process
- Project Management
- Requirement definition
- Conceptual design and architecture options
- Component placement
- Design selection
- Redundancy and safety margins
- Section 3: Methods of Temperature Control
- Heat exchangers: air and liquid cooling designs
- Heat sinks
- Heat pipes (standard and advanced) and vapor chambers
- From aerospace heritage to terrestrial applications
- Radar module cooling, compact heat pipe integration in sensor pods
- Thermal surfaces and coatings: radiators, advanced variable emissivity, adaptive camouflage coatings
- Mounting and interface thermal conductance
- Multi-layer insulation (MLI)
- Louvers
- Thermal accumulators (PCM-TA) for duty cycle management
- Thermoelectric and active cooling (mini heat pumps)
- Section 4: Integration
- Mounting and interface thermal conductance
- Corrosion control and maintainability for air applications
- Section 5: Thermal Workshop
- Exercises
- Radar electronics thermal analysis
- UAV payload thermal isolation design
- Radiative IR sensor cooling in desert environments
- Sensor pod thermal shock mitigation
- Group Activity: Adapting a Radiator for UAV Application
- Each team will deliver a short design review summarizing trade-offs, predicted performance, and failure modes.
- Exercises
- Section 6: Conclusion
- Q/A session
- Key lessons and takeaways
COURSE DELIVERY AND MATERIALS
- The course lectures will be delivered via Zoom. Access will be provided to registrants near the course start date.
- All sessions will be available on-demand within 1-2 days of the lecture. Once available, participants can stream the replay video anytime, 24/7.
- Course slides and notes will be available for registered participants after each lecture. No restricted participant-only materials may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted without permission.
- Between lectures, the instructor will be available via email for technical questions and comments.
Dr. Boris Yendler has led thermal engineering efforts across multiple NASA and commercial space missions, including NASA JPL 2001 Mars Odyssey, the Lunar IceCube smallsat (Morehead State University and NASA), various GEO commercial satellites, high-power laser communication systems, cryogenic payloads, the Beresheet lunar lander (Israel), and advanced aerial mobility projects.
He formed YSPM LLC, a consulting engineering company, in 2011 after 18 years at Lockheed Martin Corp. While at Lockheed Martin, Dr. Yendler led development and refinement of thermal methods for projects including propellant estimation. His group received the USAF Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award.
Dr. Yendler has taught related courses at Purdue University, Morehead State University, Santa Clara University, Khalifa University of Abu Dhabi, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and SPAWAR Navy Base.
He holds an M.S. in Thermo and Fluid Dynamics from St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, Russia, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering/Mathematics from St. Petersburg University, Russia. He held two postdoctoral positions: Chemical Engineering Department at Stanford University and NASA Ames Research Center.
AIAA Training Links
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For information, group discounts,
and private course pricing, contact:
Lisa Le, Education Specialist ([email protected])