access icon free Output open-circuit voltage control method with resistor–capacitor–diode dummy load branch for SSAS

© The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Received 04/09/2019, Accepted 18/12/2019, Revised 29/10/2019, Published 19/12/2019

The current output type space solar array simulator (SSAS) is an important test equipment for a spacecraft power supply to achieve high dynamic output response performance and meet the power current high precision requirements of the power conditioning unit (PCU). However, the current output type SSAS cannot produce a stable open circuit voltage when the output terminal is completely disconnected from the load. Therefore, it is impossible to reliably test the PCU with different architectures. In this study, the open circuit voltage control output problem is analysed, and a parallel resistor–capacitor–diode (RCD) dummy load branch in the SSAS output port is proposed to ensure that the SSAS outputs high-precision open circuit voltage values and provides stable series switching performance without adversely affecting the shunt switching performance. The proposed solution yielded excellent experimental results for a 1 kW hardware power SSAS platform. The open circuit voltage control accuracy is 0.5%, and the series switching test and shunt switching test yielded stable performances with a high dynamic response that quickly converges to the target working points at 1.25 kHz switching frequency, indicating that the PCU can be reliably tested regardless of whether a series architecture or a shunt architecture is used.

Inspec keywords: resistors; space vehicles; power capacitors; dynamic response; aircraft power systems; solar cell arrays; electric current control; voltage control

Other keywords: output open-circuit voltage control method; SSAS output port; stable series switching performance; 1 kW hardware power SSAS platform; open-circuit voltage control accuracy; power current high-precision requirements; power conditioning unit; parallel resistor–capacitor–diode dummy load branch; spacecraft power supply; stable open-circuit voltage; output terminal; high-dynamic response; shunt switching performance; current output-type space solar array simulator; open-circuit voltage control output problem; high-dynamic output response performance; shunt switching test; series switching test; high-precision open-circuit voltage values; current output-type SSAS; spacecraft power system; PCU

Subjects: Other power apparatus and electric machines; Voltage control; Control system analysis and synthesis methods; Control of electric power systems; Aerospace control; Power electronics, supply and supervisory circuits; Solar cells and arrays; Aerospace power systems; Resistors; Current control

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