ADBSat: Methodology of a novel panel method tool for aerodynamic analysis of satellites

Abstract

ADBSat is a novel software that determines the aerodynamic properties of any body in free-molecular flow. Its main advantage is the fast approximation of the aerodynamics of spacecraft in the lower end of the low-Earth orbit altitude range. It is a novel implementation of a panel method, where the body is represented as a set of fundamental elements and the sum of their individual aerodynamic properties makes up the properties of the whole. ADBSat's approach treats the shape as a set of flat triangular plates. These are read from a CAD geometry file in the Wavefront format, which can be created with most common CAD programs. A choice of gas-surface interaction models is available to represent the physics of free-molecular flow under different conditions. Its modular design means that other models can be easily and quickly implemented. It also benefits from a new shading algorithm for fast determination of elemental flow exposure. An example case is presented to show the capability and functionality of the program. Program summaryProgram Title: ADBSatCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/622n2yjg4w.1Licensing provisions: GPLv3Programming language: MATLABDeveloper's repository link:https://github.com/nhcrisp/ADBSatNature of problem: Quickly and accurately determining the aerodynamics of satellites in free-molecular flow.Solution method: A new implementation of the panel method has been devised. The satellite shape is passed to the program as a CAD model, comprised of a set of flat triangular plates. ADBSat then calculates the aerodynamic characteristics of each element using an appropriate mathematical model, and sums the contributions for the overall properties of the body. A novel shading algorithm identifies and removes the panels which do not contribute to the calculations due to being protected from the flow by other body features. ADBSat also has the capability to account for different materials within the shape.Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: MATLAB's Aero-space Toolbox is required for the determination of environmental parameters, unless otherwise provided by the user. As the program takes as an input a completed model of the spacecraft, the user is responsible for all mesh quality checks. The methods employed therein are only valid for strict free-molecular flow, which the user must ensure. The accuracy of the method decreases for surfaces with high concavity or multiple particle impingement.