ADBSat: Verification and validation of a novel panel method for quick aerodynamic analysis of satellites

We present the validation of ADBSat, a novel implementation of the panel method including a fast pseudo-shading algorithm, that can quickly and accurately determine the forces and torques on satellites in free-molecular flow. Our main method of validation is comparing test cases between ADBSat, the...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Sinpetru, Luciana A., Crisp, Nicholas H., Roberts, Peter C.E, Sulliotti-Linner, Valeria, Hanessian, Virginia, Herdrichd, Georg H., Romano, Francesco, García-Almiñana, Daniel|||0000-0002-9301-828X, Rodríguez Donaire, Silvia|||0000-0002-1991-8204
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/365133
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/365133
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2022.108327
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Artificial satellites -- Aerodynamics
Monte Carlo method
Panel method
Free molecular flow
Orbital aerodynamics
Satellite drag
Software validation
Direct simulation Monte Carlo
Satèl·lits artificials -- Aerodinàmica
Montecarlo, Mètode de
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Física
Descrição
Resumo:We present the validation of ADBSat, a novel implementation of the panel method including a fast pseudo-shading algorithm, that can quickly and accurately determine the forces and torques on satellites in free-molecular flow. Our main method of validation is comparing test cases between ADBSat, the current de facto standard of direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC), and published literature. ADBSat exhibits a significantly shorter runtime than DSMC and performs well, except where deep concavities are present in the satellite models. The shading algorithm also experiences problems when a large proportion of the satellite surface area is oriented parallel to the flow, but this can be mitigated by examining the body at small angles to this configuration (± 0.1°). We recommend that an error interval on ADBSat outputs of up to 3% is adopted. Therefore, ADBSat is a suitable tool for quickly determining the aerodynamic characteristics of a wide range of satellite geometries in different environmental conditions in VLEO. It can also be used in a complementary manner to identify cases that warrant further investigation using other numerical-based methods.