A Review of Gas-Surface Interaction Models for Orbital Aerodynamics Applications

Abstract

Renewed interest in Very Low Earth Orbits (VLEO) - i.e. altitudes below 450 km - has led to an increased demand for accurate environment characterisation and aerodynamic force prediction. While the former requires knowledge of the mechanisms that drive density variations in the thermosphere, the latter also depends on the interactions between the gas-particles in the residual atmosphere and the surfaces exposed to the flow. The determination of the aerodynamic coefficients is hindered by the numerous uncertainties that characterise the physical processes occurring at the exposed surfaces. Several models have been produced over the last 60 years with the intent of combining accuracy with relatively simple implementations. In this paper the most popular models have been selected and reviewed using as discriminating factors relevance with regards to orbital aerodynamics applications and theoretical agreement with gas-beam experimental data. More sophisticated models were neglected, since their increased accuracy is generally accompanied by a substantial increase in computation times which is likely to be unsuitable for most space engineering applications. For the sake of clarity, a distinction was introduced between physical and scattering kernel theory based gas-surface interaction models. The physical model category comprises the Hard Cube model, the Soft Cube model and the Washboard model, while the scattering kernel family consists of the Maxwell model, the Nocilla-Hurlbut-Sherman model and the Cercignani-Lampis-Lord model. Limits and assets of each model have been discussed with regards to the context of this paper. Wherever possible, comments have been provided to help the reader to identify possible future challenges for gas-surface interaction science with regards to orbital aerodynamic applications.

Journal paper (accepted for publication in "Progress in Aerospace Sciences") Replacement: Corrected typos in Equations

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Intake Design for an Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion System (ABEP)
• System Modelling of Very Low Earth Orbit Satellites for Earth Observation
• In-Orbit Aerodynamic Coefficient Measurements using SOAR (Satellite for Orbital Aerodynamics Research)
• ADBSat: Methodology of a novel panel method tool for aerodynamic analysis of satellites
• Optimisation of VLEO Satellite Geometries for Drag Minimisation and Lifetime Extension
• Design of an Intake and a Thruster for an Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion System
• ADBSat: Verification and validation of a novel panel method for quick aerodynamic analysis of satellites
• Uncertainties and Design of Active Aerodynamic Attitude Control in Very Low Earth Orbit
• Slip and Jump Coefficients for General Gas-Surface Interactions According to the Moment Method
• A Machine Learning Framework for Scattering Kernel Derivation Using Molecular Dynamics Data in Very Low Earth Orbit