Nonlinear Compensation of Solar Array Simulators with Dual Power Regulation

During the tests of the spacecraft electrical systems there is a need for simulators of individual parts of the spacecrafts, in particular, solar array simulators (SAS). One of the topologies of medium and high power SAS simulators has dual control of consumed power and contains series or parallel connected linear and switching regulators. This topology allows to provide wide bandwidth and high efficiency, but the range of the resistance change of periodically switched SAS load is limited to the value of the stabilized attribute. Nonlinear compensator (NC) allows to reduce the average feedback voltage of the switching regulator in case of periodic load switching, which, in turn, allows to increase the average value of the stabilized attribute. The describing function method provides a mathematical description of the NC electrical circuit, which allows to select parameters of NC that eliminate the excitation of self-oscillation based on the SAS load switching frequency range and to study the switching regulator stability.