Research Summaries

Back Multiphysics Finite Element Modeling for Multifactor Prediction in Space Systems

Fiscal Year 2016
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Physics
Investigator(s) Karunasiri, Gamani
Sponsor Department of Defense Space (DoD)
Summary NPS will investigate the effects of multipactor, which is an electron avalanche resulting from oscillating electric fields, were identified as a significant cause of ground/on orbit failure on current space programs by the experts in the 2015 U.S. Space Program Mission Assurance Improvement Workshop (MAIW). Mitigation of this problem requires accurate prediction of this phenomenon; nevertheless current computational and experimental methods are very conservative and somehow limited. In this context, we propose to investigate means to perform multipactor prediction with greater accuracy than the current prediction tools. The technical approach to reach this objective is to examine whether the incorporation and coupling of the multiple physical phenomena involved in multipactor breakdown, not present in current models, would increase accuracy. This will be performed using the commercially available COMSOL Multiphyiscs software, which has the capability to simultaneously compute multiple physical aspects involved in the problem, such as particle tracing, alternate current (AC) and radio frequency (RF) analysis as well as physics of plasmas, molecular flow, heat transfer and structural mechanics. The Department of Physics at the Naval Postgraduate School has developed extensive expertise in multiphysics finite element modeling and simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics software in the past decade and has all necessary means to perform the required heavy computations. Comparison with benchmarking experiments will be used to validate the results and establish metrics to quantify the gain in the multipactor prediction accuracy, when compared with current techniques. Successful completion of this effort will allow the development of a prediction method that accommodates generic component geometries, materials and operation conditions. This would directly impact spacecraft components and systems design, reducing time, cost, and failure rates and, therefore, enhancing reliability of space-based intelligence products.
Keywords Multipactor Multiphysics modeling and simulation space systems
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal