Design criteria for electrical power subsystem´s topology selection

Choosing an appropriate topology is a key step in the process of electrical power subsystem design. This selection should be done based on the design requirements implied from higher level like mission, system and subsystem levels. In this study the essential criteria selecting a suitable topology are discussed. This paper starts with an overview on EPS design process with emphasizing on EPS architecture and topology selection. Two concepts of energy transfer, i.e. Direct Energy Transfer and Peak Power Tracker, are reviewed and compared in details. For each concept different methods of main bus voltage regulation, like unregulated bus, regulated bus, semi-regulated bus, quasi-regulated bus and hybrid bus are discussed. They have been evaluated by comparing their advantages, disadvantages, and their applications in different space missions. These comparisons are carried out based on essential criteria for EPS design such as efficiency, complexity, reliability, weight and cost.