TMRT (Thermal Model Reduction Tool): Presentation of the tool and application on satellite model reduction for launcher coupled analysis

From the seventies, Thales Alenia Space – Cannes has developed a long experience and expertise, in thermal software development. The core calculation modules and associated methodologies have been validated through several projects, i.e thermal balance tests and flight correlations. In more recent years, different collaborations with IT services companies, mainly DOREA have allowed to improve these space thermal softwares. The study concerns the presentation of a specific module of the thermal software chain developed in TAS-Cannes (i.e e-Therm). More precisely, this module named TMRT (Thermal Model Reduction Tool) is focused on the reduction of the number of nodes of an initial Detailed Thermal Mathematical Model (DTMM) (nodal model) by generating a final Reduced Thermal Mathematical Model (RTMM). It has to be noticed that TMRT tool is capable to handle with two thermal model formats : ESATAN-TMS and e-therm, for both input (DTMM) and output (RTMM)

Firstly, the structure and the main functionalities of e-Therm will be recalled in the paper.

Then, the theoretical principle of TMRT (Thermal Model Reduction Tool), i.e. physical and numerical principles of the reduction will be described.

In addition, the reduction methodology that has to be followed in the frame of the using of the tool will be detailed, with the associated rules. More precisely, the guidelines concerning input data will be given.

Finally, an industrial application of the tool and its validation on this concrete case (reduced satellite model generation for launcher coupled analysis) will be presented.