Surface Charging of a Simple Satellite Using the Coupled Finite Element Method

This tutorial demonstrates how to perform surface charging analysis of a simple satellite using the coupled Finite Element Method (FEM) solver in Ansys Charge Plus™ electromagnetic charging and discharge simulation software.

Building on the Surface Charging of a Simple Satellite Using Boundary Element Method (BEM) tutorial, you will learn how to model coupled spacecraft–plasma interactions in a geosynchronous orbit (GEO). The workflow emphasizes the use of chassis groups, direct mesh groups, and global mesh definitions to accurately represent satellites with resistively bonded structures.

The tutorial covers material assignment, domain and enclosure setup, plasma environment definition, meshing, simulation execution, and post processing using surface graphite visualization and 2D plots.

Learning Outcomes:

Following completion of this tutorial, you will be able to:

• Perform surface charging simulations using the coupled FEM solver in Ansys Charge Plus software.
• Understand the differences between BEM and FEM surface charging approaches.
• Assign surface materials relevant to spacecraft and solar array components.
• Create and configure a simulation domain and enclosure for FEM analysis.
• Define chassis groups to model resistively bonded spacecraft structures.
• Apply boundary conditions appropriate for coupled FEM surface charging simulations.
• Add and configure a GEO plasma environment.
• Use direct mesh groups to locally refine the mesh alongside global mesh settings.
• Configure solver and output settings for surface charging simulations.
• Visualize and interpret results using surface graphite tools and 2D plots.