Design and CFD Analysis of the Fluid Dynamic Sampling System of the “MicroMED” Optical Particle Counter
Open Access
- 19 November 2019
- Vol. 19 (22), 5037
- https://doi.org/10.3390/s19225037
Abstract
MicroMED is an optical particle counter that will be part of the ExoMars 2020 mission. Its goal is to provide the first ever in situ measurements of both size distribution and concentration of airborne Martian dust. The instrument samples Martian air, and it is based on an optical system that illuminates the sucked fluid by means of a collimated laser beam and detects embedded dust particles through their scattered light. By analyzing the scattered light profile, it is possible to obtain information about the dust grain size and speed. To do that, MicroMED’s fluid dynamic design should allow dust grains to cross the laser-illuminated sensing volume. The instrument’s Elegant Breadboard was previously developed and tested, and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis enabled determining its criticalities. The present work describes how the design criticalities were solved by means of a CFD simulation campaign. At the same time, it was possible to experimentally validate the results of the analysis. The updated design was then implemented to MicroMED’s Flight Model.Keywords
Funding Information
- Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (2016/41/H.0)
This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- CFD analysis and optimization of the sensor "MicroMED" for the ExoMars 2020 missionMeasurement, 2019
- Design validation of MicroMED, a particle analyzer for ExoMars 2020Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2019
- Optimization of the sensor "MicroMED" for the ExoMars 2020 mission: the Flight Model designPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2019
- The DREAMS Experiment Onboard the Schiaparelli Module of the ExoMars 2016 Mission: Design, Performances and Expected ResultsSpace Science Reviews, 2018
- MicroMED, design of a particle analyzer for MarsMeasurement, 2018
- Optimization of the Fluid Dynamic Design of the Dust Suite-MicroMED Sensor for the ExoMars 2020 MissionPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2018
- The DREAMS experiment flown on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm seasonMeasurement, 2018
- Dust measurements in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko inbound to the SunScience, 2015
- MEDUSA: The ExoMars experiment for in-situ monitoring of dust and water vapourPlanetary and Space Science, 2009
- GIADA: The Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator for the Rosetta space missionAdvances in Space Research, 2007