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.
Highlights
Sequential Switching Shunt Regulation In S3 R systems, the solar array is split into N sections directly connected to a power bus via blocking rectifiers
Tice, in addition to usingThe reliable and SPFFapproach circuitry inside different shunt regulation used in S3 Rthe minimizes dc converter losses in theblocks power path, as just the blocking rectifiers are in series to the electrical connections
In the systems based on the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)-SAR in Figure 2, as in S3 R, all photovoltaic strings are connected in parallel so that any source of mismatching would make the overall maximum power smaller than the sum of the maximum contributions that would be available from individual strings
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Controlled-pointing solar panels are not always used in spacecraft as sometimes the more compact approach of bodymounted solar cells is preferred If this is the case, the different tilt angles affect the current–voltage characteristics of the single photovoltaic strings. A comparative analysis of S3 R and the regulators based on MPPT or SMPT techniques is discussed in Section 3 with reference to a typical space mission in low Earth orbit, in the presence of relevant mismatching in the solar array.
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