Methodology of Load Simulator Design for Ground Testing of Power Supply Systems of Autonomous Objects
The paper deals with the methodology for the design of load simulators for ground testing of power supply systems for various autonomous objects using a boost converter as a current wave-forming electrical complex. The structure of the power unit and control system of the boost converter block is considered. The modern methodologies of design of electrical complexes are analyzed. It is suggested to take into account the allowable variation in the parameters of power electronic components (resistors, capacitors and inductors) when modeling the complexes under development using modern software such as Matlab Simulink. The created methodology makes it possible to identify the peculiarities of the load simulator operation during the development stage, to take into account the variation of the parameters of the power circuit components, to adjust the regulators using simulation models, to analyze a set of design options for power circuits and control systems of the electrical complex. This significantly reduces the time and cost of the simulator design process as well as controller tuning. Numerical and laboratory-scale experiments showed good correlation, which gives grounds for applying the developed methodology to create new electrical complexes for various purposes and their components. The convenience of saving the results of experiments in the form of arrays of variables and the availability of simulation models of electrical complexes in Matlab Simulink for the developer allows application of the created methodology for further analysis of the load simulator operation at the stage of ground testing of power supply systems for autonomous objects in order to improve circuitry solutions and to additionally adjust the regulators if necessary.