• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.133-141
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• 2011

A satellite power system should generate and supply sufficient electric power to perform the satellite mission successfully during the satellite mission period, and it should be developed to be strong to the failure caused by the severe space environment. A satellite power system must have a high reliability with respect to failure. Since it cannot be repaired after launching, different from a ground system, the failures that may happen in space as well as the effect of the failures on the system should be considered in advance. However, it is difficult to use all the hardware to test the performance of the satellite power system to be developed in order to consider the failure mechanism of the electrical power system. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an accurate model for the main components of a power system and, based on that, to develop an accurate model for the entire power system. Through the power system modeling, the overall effect of failure on the main components of the power system can be considered and the protective design can be devised against the failure. In this study, to analyze the failure mode of the power system and the effects of the failure on the power system, we carried out modeling of the main power system components including the solar array regulator, and constituted the entire power system based on the modeling. Additionally, we investigated the effects of representative failures in the solar array regulator on the power system using the power system model.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 2006

The Electric Power Subsystem (EPS) is one of the most critical systems on any satellite because nearly every subsystem requires power. This makes the choice of power systems the most important task facing satellite designers. The main purpose of the Satellite EPS is to provide continuous, regulated and conditioned power to all the satellite subsystems. It has to withstand radiation, thermal cycling and vacuums in hostile space environments, as well as subsystem degradation over time. The EPS power characteristics are determined by both the parameters of the system itself and by the satellite orbit. After satellite separation from the launch vehicle (LV) to its orbit, in almost all situations, the satellite subsystems (attitude determination and control, communication and onboard computer and data handling (OBC&DH)), take their needed power from a storage battery (SB) and solar arrays (SA) besides the consumed power in the EPS management device. At this point (separation point, detumbling mode), the satellite's angular motion is high and the orientation of the solar arrays, with respect to the Sun, will change in a non-uniform way, so the amount of power generated by the solar arrays will be affected. The objective of this research is to select satellite EPS component types, to estimate solar array illumination parameters and to determine the efficiency of solar arrays during both detumbling and normal operation modes.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.666-674
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• 2016

In this paper, a high efficiency satellite electrical power supply system is proposed. The increased efficiency of the power supply system allows for downscaling of the solar array and battery weight, which are among the most important satellite design considerations. The satellite power supply system comprises two units, namely a generation unit and a storage unit. To increase the efficiency of the solar array, a maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is used in the power generation unit. In order to improve the MPPT performance, a novel algorithm is proposed on the basis of the hill climbing method. This method can track the main peak of the array power curve in satellites with long duration missions under unpredicted circumstances such as a part of the array being damaged or the presence of a shadow. A lithium-ion battery is utilized in the storage unit. An algorithm for calculating the optimal rate of battery charging is proposed where the battery is charged with the maximum possible efficiency considering the situation of the satellite. The proposed system is designed and manufactured. In addition, it is compared to the conventional power supply systems in similar satellites. Results show a 12% increase in the overall efficiency of the power supply system when compared to the conventional method.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.401-408
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• 2016

During daylight, the solar array of low earth orbit satellites harvests electrical power to operate satellites. The power conversion of the solar array is carried out by control of the operation point using the solar array regulator when the solar array faces the sunlight. Thus, the design of the solar array should comply with not only the power requirement of satellite system but also the input voltage requirement of the solar array regulator. In this paper, the design requirements of the solar array for low earth orbit satellites are defined, and the means of satisfying these requirements are described. In addition, the architecture of a multi-distributed interface is suggested to maximize the power harvested from a solar array having high temperature deviation between each panel. The power analysis in this paper shows the optimal number of multi-distributed interfaces with a converter.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.176-184
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• 2010

The power simulator for a LEO satellite is a useful tool to analyze mission validity and energy balance for various mission scenarios by estimating power generation, power consumption, depth of discharge, bus voltage, charging/discharging current, etc. In this paper, it is described the calculation algorithm of the solar array (SA) power, the satellite load power and the battery modeling method to develop a satellite power simulation. To simulate the SA power generation, three different operation modes (DET, MPPT, CV) of SAR (Solar Array Regulator) are considered with a SA model. The satellite load power is estimated using the satellite unit power database, the unit on/off configuration at some satellite operation modes. The bus voltage and battery charging/discharging current at the specific DoD (Depth of Discharge) are calculated based on the battery characteristics. By this satellite power simulator, it can be conveniently analyzed the energy balance and the validity of a planned mission of a LEO satellite.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.622-627
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• 2014

A pico-class satellite has limitation to generate power from the solar cells due to its limited accommodation area to install the solar cells. The variation of incidence angle between solar panels and sunlight induced by the revolution and rotation of the satellite is one of the key parameters to determine the power generation. In this study, we proposed a concentrating photovoltaic system for pico-class satellite applications to enhance power generation when the ${\beta}$ angle between the sunlight and the solar panel is zero by effectively concentrating solar energy on solar panels. The feasibility of the conceptual idea has been demonstrated by power measurement test using solar simulator and commercial multi-array lens system.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.189-192
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• 2003

Electrical power in satellite system should persistently satisfy specified power requirement even though that happen the failure of solar array string or battery cell during the mission operation. In this study, the solar array and battery of GEO Communication Satellite with 3kW capacity are designed, and energy balance analysis according to power operation mode are performed to meet specified power capacity at the transfer orbit

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2001.07a
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• pp.81-84
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• 2001

In the power system of a satellite, solar array and a battery have directly impact on the life time of the satellite, and their stable operation is decided by whether their states are in the steady state operation or not. In this study, solar array capacity and battery characteristics of proposed communication satellite are designed and simulation is conducted according to the operation mode. Each operation mode is classified as the normal and worst case modes, respectively. The normal mode is analyzed under daylight and the eclipse with the EHT burn, and the worst case modes which have solar cell circuit failure, and battery cell failure are analyzed too.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of IIIuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.283-287
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• 2005

In this paper, one general approach is proposed for the design of power system that can be applicable for next generation LEO satellite application. The power system consists of solar panels, battery, and power control and distribution unit(PCDU). The PCDU contains solar array modules, battery interface modules, low-voltage power distribution modules, high-voltage distribution modules, heater power distribution modules, on-board computer interface modules, and internal DC/DC converter modules. The PCDU plays roles of protection of battery against overcharge by active control of solar array generated power, distribution of unregulated electrical power via controlled outlets to bus and instrument units, distribution of regulated electrical power to selected bus and instrument units, and provision of status monitoring and telecommand interface allowing the system and ground operate the power system, evaluate its performance and initiate appropriate countermeasures in case of abnormal conditions. We review the functional schemes of the main constitutes of the PCDU such as the battery interface module, the auxiliary supply module, solar array regulators with maximum power point tracking(MPPT) technology, heater power distribution modules, spacecraft unit power distribution modules, and instrument power distribution module.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.318-325
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• 2015

Pico satellite has limited surface to install the solar cells due to its extremely limited size. Also, the sun incidence angle with respect to the solar panel continuously varies according to the attitude control strategy and its important parameter for the power generation. In this study, a concentrating photovoltaic system for pico satellite application has been proposed that can enhance the power generation efficiency in case of the unfavorable condition of the sun incidence angle with respect to the solar panel of the satellite using the fresnel lens. To prove the possibility of maximizing the power generation efficiency of the proposed concentrating power system, we have performed the power measurement test using a solar simulator and commercial fresnel lens. And on-orbit analysis of the power generation efficiency using the STK which is a commercial S/W has also been performed based on the test results.