Power Bus Management Techniques for Space Missions in Low Earth Orbit

Luigi Schirone, Matteo Ferrara, Pierpaolo Granello, Claudio Paris and Filippo Pellitteri
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Luigi Schirone: Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza University of Rome, 00138 Rome, Italy
Matteo Ferrara: Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza University of Rome, 00138 Rome, Italy
Pierpaolo Granello: Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza University of Rome, 00138 Rome, Italy
Claudio Paris: Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi, 00184 Rome, Italy
Filippo Pellitteri: Dipartimento di Ingegneria, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-20

Abstract: In space vehicles, the typical configurations for the Solar Array Power Regulators in charge of managing power transfer from the solar array to the power bus are quite different from the corresponding devices in use for terrestrial applications. A thorough analysis is reported for the most popular approaches, namely Sequential Switching Shunt Regulation and parallel-input Pulse Width Modulated converters with Maximum Power Point Tracking. Their performance is compared with reference to a typical mission in low Earth orbit, highlighting the respective strengths and weaknesses. A novel solar array managing technique, the Sequential Maximum Power Tracking, is also introduced in the trade-off and was demonstrated able to boost energy harvesting, especially in the presence of mismatching in the solar array. It also can achieve top levels of reliability using a rather simple control hardware. Its operation was verified both by a Matlab–Simulink model and by an experimental breadboard.

Keywords: satellite power sources; solar array regulation module; battery charge/discharge regulation module; maximum power point tracking (MPPT); sequential switching shunt regulation (S 3 R); power conversion unit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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