Energy Storage System Control for Energy Management in Advanced Aeronautic Applications

In this paper an issue related to electric energy management on board an aircraft is considered. A battery pack is connected to a high-voltage bus through a controlled Battery Charge/Discharge Unit (BCDU) that makes the overall behaviour of the battery “intelligent.” Specifically, when the aeronautic generator feeding the high-voltage bus has enough energy the battery is kept under charge, while if more loads are connected to the bus, so that the overload capacity of the generator is exceeded, the battery “helps” the generator by releasing its stored energy. The core of the application is a robust, supervised control strategy for the BCDU that automatically reverts the flow of power in the battery, when needed. Robustness is guaranteed by a low-level high gain control strategy. Switching from full-charge mode (i.e., when the battery absorbs power from the generator) to generator mode (i.e., when the battery pumps energy on the high-voltage bus) is imposed by a high-level supervisor. Different from previous approaches, mathematical proofs of stability are given for the controlled system. A switching implementation using a finite-time convergent controller is also proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is shown by detailed simulations in Matlab/Stateflow/SimPowerSystem

Embedding Power Line Communication in Photovoltaic Optimizer by Modulating Data in Power Control Loop

In Photovoltaic (PV) system, dc-dc power optimizer (DCPO) is an option to maximize output power. At the same time, data links among DCPOs are often required for system monitoring and controlling. This paper proposes a novel power line communication (PLC) method for the DCPOs, in which the data of a DCPO is modulated into the control loop of power converter, and then transmitted through the series-connected dc power line to other DCPOs. In the process of communication, differential phase shift keying (DPSK) modulation and discrete Fourier transformation (DFT) demodulation are employed. To analyze the quality of communication, the communication model of the system is built, based on small-signal model. Furthermore, the noises of the system, including switching, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), are discussed and measured to evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). At last, an experimental system including 6 DCPOs is established and tested, which verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method

Simulation and Control Lab Development for Power and Energy Management for NASA Manned Deep Space Missions

The development of distributed hierarchical and agent-based control systems will allow for reliable autonomous energy management and power distribution for on-orbit missions. Power is one of the most critical systems on board a space vehicle, requiring quick response time when a fault or emergency is identified. As NASAs missions with human presence extend beyond low earth orbit autonomous control of vehicle power systems will be necessary and will need to reliably function for long periods of time. In the design of autonomous electrical power control systems there is a need to dynamically simulate and verify the EPS controller functionality prior to use on-orbit. This paper presents the work at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio where the development of a controls laboratory is being completed that will be utilized to demonstrate advanced prototype EPS controllers for space, aeronautical and terrestrial applications. The control laboratory hardware, software and application of an autonomous controller for demonstration with the ISS electrical power system is the subject of this paper

Control of Energy Storage Systems for Aeronautic Applications

Future aircraft will make more and more use of automated electric power system management onboard. Different solutions are currently being explored, and in particular the use of a supercapacitor as an intelligent energy storage device is addressed in this paper. The main task of the supercapacitor is to protect the electric generator from abrupt power changes resulting from sudden insertion or disconnection of loads or from loads with regenerative power capabilities, like electromagnetic actuators. A controller based on high-gain concepts is designed to drive a DC/DC converter connecting the supercapacitor to the main electric bus. Formal stability proofs are given for the resulting nonlinear system, and strong robustness results from the use of high-gain and variable structure control implementation. Moreover, detailed simulations including switching devices and electrical parasitic elements are provided for different working scenarios, showing the effectiveness of the proposed solution

Energy harvesting technologies for structural health monitoring of airplane components - a review

With the aim of increasing the efficiency of maintenance and fuel usage in airplanes, structural health monitoring (SHM) of critical composite structures is increasingly expected and required. The optimized usage of this concept is subject of intensive work in the framework of the EU COST Action CA18203 "Optimising Design for Inspection" (ODIN). In this context, a thorough review of a broad range of energy harvesting (EH) technologies to be potentially used as power sources for the acoustic emission and guided wave propagation sensors of the considered SHM systems, as well as for the respective data elaboration and wireless communication modules, is provided in this work. EH devices based on the usage of kinetic energy, thermal gradients, solar radiation, airflow, and other viable energy sources, proposed so far in the literature, are thus described with a critical review of the respective specific power levels, of their potential placement on airplanes, as well as the consequently necessary power management architectures. The guidelines provided for the selection of the most appropriate EH and power management technologies create the preconditions to develop a new class of autonomous sensor nodes for the in-process, non-destructive SHM of airplane components.The work of S. Zelenika, P. Gljušcic, E. Kamenar and Ž. Vrcan is partly enabled by using the equipment funded via the EU European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project no. RC.2.2.06-0001: “Research Infrastructure for Campus-based Laboratories at the University of Rijeka (RISK)” and partly supported by the University of Rijeka, Croatia, project uniri-tehnic-18-32 „Advanced mechatronics devices for smart technological solutions“. Z. Hadas, P. Tofel and O. Ševecek acknowledge the support provided via the Czech Science Foundation project GA19-17457S „Manufacturing and analysis of flexible piezoelectric layers for smart engineering”. J. Hlinka, F. Ksica and O. Rubes gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the ESIF, EU Operational Programme Research, Development and Education within the research project Center of Advanced Aerospace Technology (Reg. No.: CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000826) at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology. V. Pakrashi would like to acknowledge UCD Energy Institute, Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) centre Ireland, Strengthening Infrastructure Risk Assessment in the Atlantic Area (SIRMA) Grant No. EAPA\826/2018, EU INTERREG Atlantic Area and Aquaculture Operations with Reliable Flexible Shielding Technologies for Prevention of Infestation in Offshore and Coastal Areas (FLEXAQUA), MarTera Era-Net cofund PBA/BIO/18/02 projects. The work of J.P.B. Silva is partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UIDB/FIS/04650/2020. M. Mrlik gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic-DKRVO (RP/CPS/2020/003

Current Interactions Mitigation in 3-Phase PFC Modular Rectifier through Differential-Mode Choke Filter Boost Converter

In this paper, a new way to mitigate the current interactions, is proposed. The problem of current interactions arises when a modular three-phase (3-phase) rectifier (three single-phase modules) with boost converter for power factor correction (PFC) is used. A new differential-mode choke filter is implemented in the developed boost converter. The choke here is a specially made differential inductor in the input of the boost converter, that eliminates the known current interactions. To prove the new concept, a study of the level of mitigation of the current interactions is presented. The control is operated in continuous driving mode (CCM), and the popular UC3854B circuit was used for this. The rectifier proposal is validated through a set of simulations performed on the PSIM 12.0 platform, as well as the construction of a prototype. With the results obtained, it is confirmed that the differential-mode choke filter eliminates the current interactions. It is observed that at the input of the rectifier, a sinusoidal alternating current with a low level of harmonic distortion is consumed from the grid. The sinusoidal shape of the phase current, proves that a better power factor, capable of meeting the international standards is obtained, and proves that the circuit in its initial version, is operational. This proven result promises a good PFC operation, to guarantee the better quality of the electrical energy, being able to be applied in systems that require a high PFC, e.g. in battery charging, wind systems, or in aeronautics and spacecrafts

High Intensity Laser Power Beaming Architecture for Space and Terrestrial Missions

High Intensity Laser Power Beaming (HILPB) has been developed as a technique to achieve Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) for both space and terrestrial applications. In this paper, the system architecture and hardware results for a terrestrial application of HILPB are presented. These results demonstrate continuous conversion of high intensity optical energy at near-IR wavelengths directly to electrical energy at output power levels as high as 6.24 W from the single cell 0.8 cm2 aperture receiver. These results are scalable, and may be realized by implementing receiver arraying and utilizing higher power source lasers. This type of system would enable long range optical refueling of electric platforms, such as MUAV s, airships, robotic exploration missions and provide power to spacecraft platforms which may utilize it to drive electric means of propulsion

Resilient and Real-time Control for the Optimum Management of Hybrid Energy Storage Systems with Distributed Dynamic Demands

A continuous increase in demands from the utility grid and traction applications have steered public attention toward the integration of energy storage (ES) and hybrid ES (HESS) solutions. Modern technologies are no longer limited to batteries, but can include supercapacitors (SC) and flywheel electromechanical ES well. However, insufficient control and algorithms to monitor these devices can result in a wide range of operational issues. A modern day control platform must have a deep understanding of the source. In this dissertation, specialized modular Energy Storage Management Controllers (ESMC) were developed to interface with a variety of ES devices. The EMSC provides the capability to individually monitor and control a wide range of different ES, enabling the extraction of an ES module within a series array to charge or conduct maintenance, while remaining storage can still function to serve a demand. Enhancements and testing of the ESMC are explored in not only interfacing of multiple ES and HESS, but also as a platform to improve management algorithms. There is an imperative need to provide a bridge between the depth of the electrochemical physics of the battery and the power engineering sector, a feat which was accomplished over the course of this work. First, the ESMC was tested on a lead acid battery array to verify its capabilities. Next, physics-based models of lead acid and lithium ion batteries lead to the improvement of both online battery management and established multiple metrics to assess their lifetime, or state of health. Three unique HESS were then tested and evaluated for different applications and purposes. First, a hybrid battery and SC HESS was designed and tested for shipboard power systems. Next, a lithium ion battery and SC HESS was utilized for an electric vehicle application, with the goal to reduce cycling on the battery. Finally, a lead acid battery and flywheel ES HESS was analyzed for how the inclusion of a battery can provide a dramatic improvement in the power quality versus flywheel ES alone

Estudio, diseño y simulación de topologías de potencia para arquitecturas HVDC en aeronaves

Durante los últimos años, la sociedad ha incrementado considerablemente su concienciación sobre el medio ambiente, y el sector aeronáutico no se ha quedado atrás. La acuciante necesidad de cuidar el planeta y reducir la contaminación que genera el transporte aéreo han llevado a la creación de tendencias como More Electric Aircraft (MEA) o All Electric Aircraft (AEA). Estas tendencias se basan en incrementar las partes eléctricas del avión de forma que este sea más eficiente y produzca una menor huella de carbono. Con este objetivo se han generado numerosas investigaciones que buscan mejorar el sistema eléctrico abordo de una aeronave, pues en la actualidad sigue siendo inviable con la tecnología que se posee producir una aeronave comercial totalmente eléctrica. Una de las tendencias más importantes que han ido surgiendo es la implementación de arquitecturas HVDC para el sistema de distribución de potencia eléctrica, ya que esta consigue una mayor densidad energética y por tanto una importante reducción del peso del sistema eléctrico en la aeronave. Esta arquitectura requiere un tipo de convertidor de potencia que hasta ahora no había sido necesario incluir abordo de una aeronave, los convertidores DC-DC. Por este motivo estos convertidores son una tecnología que aún requiere desarrollo y optimización para poder ser implementados en el campo de la aeronáutica. Se han investigado y diseñado diversos convertidores para esta tarea, como el convertidor Dual Active Bridge (DAB), que ha recibido bastante atención en este campo, o los convertidores resonantes. A pesar de que el número de investigaciones sobre los convertidores DC-DC es alto, hay muy pocos estudios comparativos entre las diferentes topologías para averiguar cual de ellas es más adecuada. Este trabajo buscará contribuir en este tema diseñando, simulando y comparando diferentes topologías de convertidores para comprobar su viabilidad como conexión entre un embarrado de continua formado por baterías que suministran , y las cargas de aviónica que se requieren para operar. Para ello una vez se hayan diseñado los convertidores de las distintas topologías se analizarán los parámetros más críticos para su utilización en una aeronave, en concreto el estudio se centrará en la eficiencia ya que se trata del factor más determinante en este campo. Para analizar estas topologíasse realizarán simulaciones ajustando los elementos del convertidor hasta conseguir un punto de funcionamiento con una eficiencia suficientemente alta. Tras esto se fijarán los elementos del convertidor y se comprobará como varia su eficiencia al alejarse del punto de diseño. Con estos análisis se espera dar luz sobre cual de los convertidores es más adecuado y realiza una mejor actuación para su utilización en las futuras aeronaves MEA.In the recent years, the awareness of the environment has increased exponentially, and the aeronautical sector has not left behind. The urgent need to take care of the planet and reduce the pollution generated by air-transport have led to the creation of new aeronautical trends such as More Electric Aircraft (MEA) or All Electric Aircraft (AEA). These philosophies are based on increasing the electric parts on the plane, so it become more efficient and produce a lower carbon footprint. With this objective, numerous investigations have been generated to improve the electrical system onboard, since it is still unfeasible to produce a fully electric commercial aircraft with the current technology. One of the more important trends that has emerge is to employ an HVDC architecture for the electrical power distribution system, since this kind of distribution achieves higher energy density and therefore a significant reduction in the weight of the electrical onboard system. This architecture requires a type of power converter that until now had not been necessary using on an aircraft. For this reason, these converters are a technology that still requires development and optimization to be able to be implemented on an aircraft. Various converters have been researched and designed for this task, including the Dual Active Bridge (DAB), which has received a lot of attention in this field, or some types of resonant converters. Even though the number of investigations on DC-DC converters is high, there are very few studies that compare the different topologies to find out which one is more suitable for its use on a plane. This paper will seek to contribute to this topic by designing, simulating and comparing different converter topologies to verify their viability as a connection between an HVDC battery, of , and the avionics loads of the aircraft, which work at . For this aim, once the converters of the different topologies have been design, the most critical parameter for their use on an aircraft will be analyzed. These are mainly their efficiency and power density. To analyze these two points, simulations will be carried out by adjusting the converter elements until a sufficiently high efficiency is achieved. After this, the elements of the converter will be fixed, and it will be verified how their efficiency varies when moving away from the design point. With these analyzes, this paper is expected to shed light on which of the topologies considered is more suitable and has a better performing for its use in future MEA aircrafts.Universidad de Sevilla. Ingeniería Aeroespacia