Current Sources for the International Space Station (ISS)

摘要

In the scope of the Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL) for the International Space Station (ISS) a family of 300W current sources has been developed and qualified. All current sources can be connected in parallel or serial operation to adapt to the various applications in this experiment. Therefore, they can operate either as current or voltage source adjustable from zero to the maximum value. They can be used as universal power supply, any application up to 300W. To fit into the small envelope and cope with the tight mass and power budget, the chosen converter concept was the phase shift converter with zero voltage switching which allows an efficiency of up to 90 %. Due to the high power they operate from the 120V a ailable on the ISS. Currently, the family consists of two basic models: the Heater Current Source (HCS) and the Peltier Current Source (PCS).