Performance Enhancement of Power Conditioning Systems in More Electric Aircrafts

Power quality improvement constitutes a critical issue in the DC distribution networks of modern and future More Electric Aircrafts (MEAs). In this paper, an improved control strategy for power conditioning systems (i.e., aiming to mitigate DC bus voltage transients, mainly in feeders with critical loads) in MEA microgrids is proposed, to enhance the system dynamics. The studied power conditioner is based on the widely proposed bidirectional buck-boost DC-DC converter configuration, along with a supercapacitor bank. The proposed controller design enhances the system performance, employing an effective control loop (based on a current control method), taking into consideration the detailed converter average model, so as to enhance the performance of conventional power conditioning systems during transient operation. The proposed control strategy is validated by experimental tests, presented on a SiC-based scaled-down hardware prototype.