High-Efficiency Switch-Linear-Hybrid Space Solar Array Simulator with a Simple Thermal Design Method for Linear Power Stage

摘要

Space solar array simulators (SSASs) typically use linear power stages to guarantee high dynamic performance. However, commercial SAS modular products widely used in aerospace power supply system testing require multiple modules in parallel, to improve the output power level and efficiency. This paper proposes a simple thermal design for the linear power stage of an SSAS, which combines a linear power stage unit and a multilevel bus tracking converter unit. The proposed design can help achieve fast step-switching capability and high power-handling capacity. The linear power stage with 20 linear voltage-controlled current paths in parallel and the multilevel bus tracking converter can provide variable voltage levels to track the SSAS output voltage, which decreases the power dissipation in the linear power stage. The reasonable parameters of the multilevel bus tracking converter based on the proposed design, can improve the efficiency of the SSAS significantly. The highest efficiency obtained is approximately 0.942, which is higher than that of the similar SAS products for all working points on the designed I-V curve.