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Developing a Proposed Satellite Reaction Wheel Model with Current Mode

Control

Conference Paper · August 2015

DOI: 10.1109/IconSpace.2015.7283839

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Mohamad Fakhari Mehrjardi H. Sanusi

Sharif University of Technology Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
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Mohd Alauddin Mohd Ali

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
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Developing a Proposed Satellite Reaction Wheel

Model with Current Mode Control
Mohamad Fakhari Mehrjardi, Hilmi Sanusi, Mohd. Alauddin Mohd. Ali,
National University of Malaysia (UKM)
43600 Bangi, Malaysia
mohamad.fakhari.m@gmail.com

brushless DC motor. A cutaway view of a reaction wheel is

shown in Fig. 1. By adjusting the motor electric current the
Abstract— the motivation for development of reaction wheel
components model is to achieve a precise reaction wheel model
flywheel can speed up or slow down, and, by reaction, an
for attitude control subsystem of spacecraft. Recent opposite torque is applied to the satellite. Reaction wheels are
developments in spacecrafts manufacturing industry have designed to work within a limit of angular momentum or speed
heightened the need for accurate attitude control subsystems. [2].
Performance of spacecraft attitude control, as one of the complex
subsystems of spacecrafts, is often reduced by both
environmental and internal disturbances. Ideally, the output
torque of reaction wheel should depend on the input current but
in reality; various disturbances are operative as well. Most
commonly, disturbance sources are flywheel imbalance, bearing
frictions, bearing torque noise, motor torque ripple and cogging.
This study proposes a precise reaction wheel model and these
disturbance torques are considered inside the model. Then the
results show how disturbance torques deteriorate the wheel
speed, angular momentum, and reaction torque of the reaction
wheel.

Index Terms— Reaction wheel, flywheel imbalance

disturbances, friction torque

I. INTRODUCTION
Reaction wheels have been applied for attitude control
subsystem of numerous spacecrafts to date, and are expected
for use in future scientific missions. These control actuators are
using in order to provide attitude pointing and stability of
artificial spacecrafts. This rotating component can damp
perturbing momentums or changes in the momentum of the
satellite to an arbitrary magnitude [1]. Technological
achievements both in hardware and software for system control
have improved over the years due to requirements for satellite
attitude pointing and stability accuracy.
Reaction wheels are used as a momentum exchange device
in spacecrafts to provide reaction torque and to store the
angular momentum. They operate on the principle of
conservation of angular momentum of a closed system.
Angular momentum is conserved because the spin-up
maneuver is performed entirely using torques and forces that
are internal to the system. Therefore, the sum of the angular
momentum that accumulates in the wheels is equal and
opposite to the angular momentum associated with the
spinning of the system about its own center of mass. A typical
reaction wheel consists of a high inertia flywheel powered by a
Fig. 1. A cutaway view of a typical reaction wheel
In order to predict the effect of reaction wheel disturbances
on spacecraft accuracy pointing and stability, it is necessary to
understand and characterize the reaction wheel and the
disturbances it contains. During the manufacturing process,
reaction wheels are balanced to minimize the vibrations that
occur during operation. However, it has been identified that the
vibration disturbances emitted by the reaction wheels can still
reduce the performance of precision spacecrafts [3]-[5].
Instruments are never manufactured perfectly and induced
certain disturbances while spinning. In general, the reaction
wheel disturbances are driven by flywheel imbalance, bearing
irregularities, lubricant dynamics, and torque ripple and
cogging in the brushless DC motor [6]. In this study, principles
and mathematical expressions of main disturbances are
described. A modeling technique of a wheel and disturbance is
proposed by using combined reaction wheel model, which is
based on the analytical wheel model. To illustrate the
mathematical model behavior, equations and their relations are

‹,((( 
simulated in MATLAB software. This model is sufficiently ª
general to be applicable to any spacecraft attitude control −ω 2 ω 2 º
«
τ = I ω + τ ω + sgn(ω ) b + de s» (5)
system. m c « »
¬« »¼
II. IDEAL REACTION WHEEL MODEL
Typically, reaction wheels are modeled such an ideal Where, b , is the coefficient of viscous friction, τ , is the
c
reaction wheel. In this case, there is no internal rectification for
friction disturbance torque and mostly the torque command is a Coulomb friction torque, d , is the starting torque, and ω is
s
motor torque command, and not a reaction torque command. known as Stribeck speed.
The diagram in Fig. 2a characterizes an ideal reaction wheel The friction in a reaction wheel can be broken down into
block diagram.
The torque applied to the wheel is sensed by the satellite in viscous friction and coulomb friction. The viscous friction, τ ,
v
the opposite direction, and it is used for attitude control based varies with temperature and speed, and the coulomb friction is
on information of attitude sensors like gyroscopes, sun sensors, a constant. Bearing lubricant causes viscous friction in the
magnetometers and star sensors. reaction wheel. The viscosity of bearing lubricant depends on
temperature. Generally viscous friction has a direct relation
with speed of wheel and inverse relation with temperature. The
III. NEAR IDEAL REACTION WHEEL MODEL
coulomb friction, τ , is caused by rolling friction within the
A near ideal reaction wheel model is shown in the Fig. 2b c
In near ideal reaction wheel model friction torque is only reaction wheel bearing. This drag torque is defined as the
disturbing source which is subtracted from the motor torque smallest amount of torque which if applied continuously will
and the net torque, τ , is the motor torque, τ , minus friction keep the flywheel rotating.
n m
torque, τ or: IV. PROPOSED REACTION WHEEL MODEL
d
τ =τ −τ (1) Disturbances from reaction wheels, which are considered as
n m d
internal disturbances, contribute to spacecraft pointing
The wheel speed is the integration of the net torque applied accuracy and potentially generate microphonics payload
to the flywheel instruments. Definition and quantitation of an accurate reaction
wheel model helps attitude control model to have factual
results. In other words, having an accurate reaction wheel
1 model provides better accuracy pointing. In this model various
ω (t ) = ³ τ dt (2)
I n types of reaction wheel drags because of sources such as
bearing friction, flywheel imbalance, and motor drag torque are
In this equation I is the flywheel inertia and ω is the considered. A detailed time domain block diagram of this
wheel speed. model is shown in Fig. 2c.
In the satellite, according to the Newton’s third law, the
reaction torque, τ , applied to the satellite is equal and
z
opposite of the net torque and can be derived from the negative
rate of change angular momentum, H , thus

dH
τ = −τ = − (3)
z n dt
Flywheel angular momentum is the product of flywheel
inertia and the wheel speed, or
K G
H = Iω (4)
z
The Friction model as a differential equation describing the
motion is

411
 (a)

(b)

(c)

Fig. 2. Reaction wheel block diagram, (a) ideal, (b) near ideal, (c) proposed

412
 V. FLYWHEEL IMBALANCE DISTURBANCES
Imbalance in flywheel cannot remove completely
somehow for precise attitude control system it is necessary to
control vibration due to such disturbances. This disturbance is
reflected as a most significant disturbance source which occurs
at the same frequency as the wheel spin rate. Two common
imbalance disturbance resources for a flywheel are dynamic
imbalance and static imbalance. The cross product inertia of
the flywheel, caused by angular misalignment of the principal
inertia with the spin axis is defined as dynamic imbalance. The
static imbalance is defined as the offset of flywheel center of
gravity from rotation axis. The disturbance torque of dynamic
imbalance is given by
τ = mrd ω 2 sin ωt (6)
x,y

The radial force magnitude static imbalance is

F = mr ω 2 sin ωt (7)
x,y

In these equations, m , d , and r are imbalance weight,

flywheel width, and flywheel radius. Dynamic and static Fig. 4. Accurate reaction wheel simulation results
imbalances are shown in the Fig. 3.
VII. CONCLUSION
In this study a mathematical model of an accurate reaction
wheel has been presented. This model can be a part of attitude
control subsystem simulation, with motor torque and bus
voltage as inputs, and angular momentum, reaction torque,
wheel speed, and disturbances as outputs. Drag torques such as
bearing friction, flywheel imbalance, and motor disturbances;
have been considered in the accurate model.

(a) (b)
Fig. 3. Flywheel imbalances, (a) dynamic, (b) static
VI. PROPOSED REACTION WHEEL SIMULATION TESTING
An important complement in analyzing model evaluation is
simulation testing. The code is started by defining some
reaction wheel constants. The initial simulated counterpart of
the test-case spacecraft are, τ (coulomb friction) = 0.002 ,
c [3] Davis, L. Porter, et al. "Hubble space telescope reaction wheel
I (flywheel inertia) = 0.031 , U
s
(static imbalance)
−6 −6
= 15 × 10 , and U (dynamic imbalance) = 4 ×10
d 1.5 Hz passive viscous isolation system." 35th AIAA SDM
Simulation results of the accurate reaction wheel model, is
illustrated in Fig. 4. Since the reaction torque is related to
internal reaction wheel noises, it decreases as the wheel is run-
in. using this model helps to have a model to minimize
spacecraft jitter.
REFERENCES
[1] Seyed Hasan Miri, Mohamad Fakhari Mehrjardi, and Mehran
Mirshams. "Optimal Stabling of Attitude Maneuver for a
Special Satellite with Reaction Wheel Actuators." ASME 2010
10th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and
Analysis. pp. 133-141, Istanbul, Turkey, July 2010.
[2] Wertz, James Richard, ed. “Spacecraft attitude determination
and control”. Vol. 73. Springer Science & Business Media,
1978.
assembly vibration isolation system." NASA Marshall Space
Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 9 (1986).
[4] Davis, Porter, Dave Cunningham, and John Harrell. "Advanced
.
Conference, pp. 2655-2665, Hilton Head, SC, April 1994.
[5] Hasha, M. D. "Reaction wheel mechanical noise variations."
Space Telescope Program Engineering Memo SSS 218, 1986.
[6] Bialke, Bill. "A compilation of reaction wheel induced
spacecraft disturbances." 20th Annual American Aeronautical
Society Guidance and Control Conference. 1997.

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