{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/34743"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/34743","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Modeling Differential Charging of Composite Spacecraft Bodies Using the Coliseum Framework","abstract":"The COLISEUM framework is a tool designed for electric propulsion plume interactions. Virginia Tech has been developing a module for COLISEUM called DRACO, a particle-in-cell based code capable of plume modeling for geometrically complex spacecraft. This work integrates a charging module into DRACO. Charge is collected via particle impingement on the spacecraft surface and converted to potential. Charge can be stored in the surface, or added to a local ground potential. Current can flow through the surface and is governed by the internal electric field in the spacecraft. Several test cases were run to demonstrate the code's capabilities. The first was a plume impingement of a composite spherical probe by a xenon thruster. It was shown that the majority of current conducted will reach the interior of the spacecraft, not other surface elements. A conductive interior will therefore result in a uniform surface potential, even for low surface conductivities. A second test case showed a composite spacecraft exposed to a solar wind. This test showed that when a potential gradient is applied to a conductive body, the ground potential of the spacecraft will lower significantly to compensate and maintain a zero net current. The case that used the semiconductive material showed that the effect of the potential gradient can be lowered in cases such as this, where some charge will always be stuck in the surface. If a dielectric material is used, the gradient will disappear altogether. The final test case showed the effect of charge exchange ion backflow on the potential of a spacecraft similar to the DAWN spacecraft. This case showed that CEX ion distribution is not even along the spacecraft and will result in a transverse potential gradient along the panel.","abstract_html":"The COLISEUM framework is a tool designed for electric propulsion plume interactions. Virginia Tech has been developing a module for COLISEUM called DRACO, a particle-in-cell based code capable of plume modeling for geometrically complex spacecraft. This work integrates a charging module into DRACO. Charge is collected via particle impingement on the spacecraft surface and converted to potential. Charge can be stored in the surface, or added to a local ground potential. Current can flow through the surface and is governed by the internal electric field in the spacecraft. Several test cases were run to demonstrate the code's capabilities. The first was a plume impingement of a composite spherical probe by a xenon thruster. It was shown that the majority of current conducted will reach the interior of the spacecraft, not other surface elements. A conductive interior will therefore result in a uniform surface potential, even for low surface conductivities. A second test case showed a composite spacecraft exposed to a solar wind. This test showed that when a potential gradient is applied to a conductive body, the ground potential of the spacecraft will lower significantly to compensate and maintain a zero net current. The case that used the semiconductive material showed that the effect of the potential gradient can be lowered in cases such as this, where some charge will always be stuck in the surface. If a dielectric material is used, the gradient will disappear altogether. The final test case showed the effect of charge exchange ion backflow on the potential of a spacecraft similar to the DAWN spacecraft. This case showed that CEX ion distribution is not even along the spacecraft and will result in a transverse potential gradient along the panel.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Barrie, Alexander"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Aerospace and Ocean Engineering","degree_department":"Aerospace and Ocean Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Wang, Joseph J."],"committee_members":["Scales, Wayne A.","Kapania, Rakesh K."],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-08-14","date_published":"2006-08-14","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:03Z","subjects":["particle in cell","electric propulsion plume","spacecraft charging"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-08242006-184416"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-08242006-184416","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/34743","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Wang, Joseph J."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Scales, Wayne A.","Kapania, Rakesh K."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Aerospace and Ocean Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Barrie, Alexander"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T20:44:07Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T20:44:07Z","2006-10-10"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2006-08-14"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace and Ocean Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["particle in cell","electric propulsion plume","spacecraft charging"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-08242006-184416"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/34743"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The COLISEUM framework is a tool designed for electric propulsion plume interactions. Virginia Tech has been developing a module for COLISEUM called DRACO, a particle-in-cell based code capable of plume modeling for geometrically complex spacecraft. This work integrates a charging module into DRACO. Charge is collected via particle impingement on the spacecraft surface and converted to potential. Charge can be stored in the surface, or added to a local ground potential. Current can flow through the surface and is governed by the internal electric field in the spacecraft. Several test cases were run to demonstrate the code's capabilities. The first was a plume impingement of a composite spherical probe by a xenon thruster. It was shown that the majority of current conducted will reach the interior of the spacecraft, not other surface elements. A conductive interior will therefore result in a uniform surface potential, even for low surface conductivities. A second test case showed a composite spacecraft exposed to a solar wind. This test showed that when a potential gradient is applied to a conductive body, the ground potential of the spacecraft will lower significantly to compensate and maintain a zero net current. The case that used the semiconductive material showed that the effect of the potential gradient can be lowered in cases such as this, where some charge will always be stuck in the surface. If a dielectric material is used, the gradient will disappear altogether. The final test case showed the effect of charge exchange ion backflow on the potential of a spacecraft similar to the DAWN spacecraft. This case showed that CEX ion distribution is not even along the spacecraft and will result in a transverse potential gradient along the panel."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Modeling Differential Charging of Composite Spacecraft Bodies Using the Coliseum Framework"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Wang, Joseph J."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Scales, Wayne A.","Kapania, Rakesh K."],"dc:contributor.department":["Aerospace and Ocean Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Barrie, Alexander"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T20:44:07Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T20:44:07Z","2006-10-10"],"dc:date.issued":["2006-08-14"],"dc:description.abstract":["The COLISEUM framework is a tool designed for electric propulsion plume interactions. Virginia Tech has been developing a module for COLISEUM called DRACO, a particle-in-cell based code capable of plume modeling for geometrically complex spacecraft. This work integrates a charging module into DRACO. Charge is collected via particle impingement on the spacecraft surface and converted to potential. Charge can be stored in the surface, or added to a local ground potential. Current can flow through the surface and is governed by the internal electric field in the spacecraft. Several test cases were run to demonstrate the code's capabilities. The first was a plume impingement of a composite spherical probe by a xenon thruster. It was shown that the majority of current conducted will reach the interior of the spacecraft, not other surface elements. A conductive interior will therefore result in a uniform surface potential, even for low surface conductivities. A second test case showed a composite spacecraft exposed to a solar wind. This test showed that when a potential gradient is applied to a conductive body, the ground potential of the spacecraft will lower significantly to compensate and maintain a zero net current. The case that used the semiconductive material showed that the effect of the potential gradient can be lowered in cases such as this, where some charge will always be stuck in the surface. If a dielectric material is used, the gradient will disappear altogether. The final test case showed the effect of charge exchange ion backflow on the potential of a spacecraft similar to the DAWN spacecraft. This case showed that CEX ion distribution is not even along the spacecraft and will result in a transverse potential gradient along the panel."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:identifier.other":["etd-08242006-184416"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/34743"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["particle in cell","electric propulsion plume","spacecraft charging"],"dc:title":["Modeling Differential Charging of Composite Spacecraft Bodies Using the Coliseum Framework"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace and Ocean Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:03Z"}