Technical Article

Development of accelerated methods for calculating the pattern of current spreading over the surface of spacecraft

HSE University, 20 Myasnitskaya st., 101000 Moscow, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: avostrikov@hse.ru

Received: 30 June 2021
Accepted: 19 May 2022

Abstract

High-energy charged plasma particles pose a danger to space technology. The accumulation of charged particles on the body of the spacecraft generates discharges. Electrostatic discharge is a source of powerful electromagnetic interference that adversely affects the functioning of individual parts and entire systems. According to statistics, in about 30% of cases, the loss of satellites is the consequence of discharges. Before the operation of spacecraft, it is necessary to calculate the spreading of currents, which requires large machine and time costs. The article proposes original approaches for quickly constructing a picture of the spreading of currents over the surface of a spacecraft due to electrification. The key point of the first approach is the construction of a limited area for calculating the flow spreading. The calculation of transient currents will only take place in the electromagnetic compatibility area specified by the user without affecting the rest of it. The paper also developed new simplified computational schemes for a system of differential equations based on the Euler methods. With the help of new computational schemes, the time for calculating unknown quantities in a local area specified by the user has been reduced by several orders of magnitude compared to the calculation of unknown full models. The article presents conclusions on new computational schemes, indicating the complexity of their construction. The adequacy and accuracy of the new computational scheme are confirmed by a practical example.